Second Chance
by bigdogneversleeps
Summary: Minato does not die during the Kyuubi's sealing, but instead is put into a deep coma. He finally wakes up to an unexpected world, and the first things he sees? His son.
1. Chapter 1

_This isn't Shinigami's stomach._

These were the first thoughts of Konoha's legendary Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, as he regained consciousness. The last thing he remembered was telling Hiruzen to make sure Naruto was seen as a hero, and now he is…

_Where am I?_

His eyelids were currently closed, so he slowly opened them, shocked at the amount of effort he had to use to do such a miniscule task. The first thing he saw was a concrete wall, with some lights illuminating the room. He heard some noises, so he turned to where he thought the noise was coming from. He saw that they were a few medical machines, indicating, from what he could tell, blood pressure, heartbeat, and things like that. He saw something that looked like an IV drip, and realized it was connected to him.

_What the hell is going on?_

He began to look down at himself, and realized he was wearing a hospital gown. He could tell he was almost skin and bones beneath that gown. He also realized that he had almost no energy in him, as he could barely muster the energy to move his hand. He wriggled a few of his fingers, and lifted it a few inches, but that wasn't much. He began to try and speak. "Hello?" His voice was still there, but it was a mere hoarse whisper than the commanding tone he was used to using. Trying his best, he spoke again.

"Hello?" It wasn't much louder, and nobody was coming.

Determining that he would stay alone until somebody came to check on him, his mind wandered to the important question.

_How am I alive?_

His mind raced through the events of the Kyuubi attack and sealing. The Masked Uchiha attacking, threatening his son, controlling the Kyuubi, before he managed to defeat him. He had escaped, but he knew he would be back. Part of the reason why he sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto was that he would need all the help to beat that Masked Uchiha. And he was not sure that his body would have been able to handle the full Kyuubi being sealed into him and going with him to Shinigami's stomach.

_On that note, is that portion of the Kyuubi still with me?_

He wished he could move, and check the seal, but that was impossible at the moment. His mind continued on the thought of the fate of the Kyuubi, or the half sealed in his son. Minato's contemplative demeanor brightened immensely as he thought about it. He was alive! He could raise his son! He could be there for him! A smile formed over his lips as he thought about it.

He suddenly heard a new sound, breaking the sounds of the medical machines. He noticed the door finally, and saw the handle was moving. The door opened, and instead of some kind of nurse, he was surprised to see 2 boys and a girl sneak into the room. Deciding to figure out what was going on, he closed his eyes, pretended to still be asleep.

"See Kiba! I told you! It's the Yondaime Hokage! He's still alive!"

"But…how? How is he alive? He was supposed to have died with the Kyuubi eleven years ago!"

Minato nearly cried out loud, but kept his composure. _11 years! It had been 11 years! How was that even possible?_ He must have been in a very deep coma, and finally have awoken. He knew little about medicine, but knew someone with the ability to think and have motor control after that long should be impossible. Then he remembered the state he was in physically. The nurses must have made sure to heal his mind, so it never deteriorated.

"I don't know. I just know, here he is."

"How the heck did you find him again, Naruto?"

_Naruto. Naruto? Naruto! My son! My son!_ Minato wanted to spring up and say something, but he soon realized that going back to a resting position and closing his eyes was a bad idea. He seemed to be stuck there, as he had lost the energy to move. Annoyed, he decided to keep still to listen.

"I told you, I pulled a prank on that chunin who shoved me into a trash can so he chased me all over. I had to hide, so I went into the warehouse building to see if I could find a place to hide. I found a spot, and realized there was some light coming from the floor. I found the trapdoor, and decided to look around. I had to sneak around a few guards, but I was checking rooms to see what was here when I found him!"

"A-a-amazing, N-Naruto-kun." This time, it was a female voice.

"I know, right Hinata? So, do you believe me now, Kiba?"

"No way! We only got here this time due to my nose, and Hinata's eyes. It would have been easy if we had Akamaru, but Hana nee-chan is doing his check-up. If we had so many problems, no way a dead last like you could do it by yourself."

"That's n-not true, Kiba-s-san. N-Naruto-kun could do it b-by himself. He is r-really good at this k-kind of stuff. He c-can do anything if he p-puts his mind to it!" It was followed by a squeak.

"Thanks, Hinata! I didn't know you believed in me like that. Nani, Hinata? Hinata? Are you okay? Wake up, did I squeeze you too hard?"

Taking in memories from long ago, he could see the picture of what was happening quite well. His son was a stealthy prankster who apparently didn't do well in class, Kiba must be the same Kiba Tsume had, and Hinata must have been Hiashi's daughter, who was quite shy and seemed to have a crush on his son. The irony of Hiashi's failed attempt to get him and Kushina to sign a betrothal contract between the two after he found out he was having a girl was not lost on him. Feeling his energy coming back to him, he opened his eyes and managed to whisper aloud. "Naruto."

The surprise of the three intruders was obvious. Hinata, a petite girl in a big jacket with lavender blue hair in a hime cut, was just awakening and was on the ground, having fallen over in surprise. Kiba, with red cheek marks and a big grey jacket jumped and began to look at the Yondaime. But Naruto, his Naruto, with spiky blonde hair, wide blue eyes, whisker marks, and wearing an orange jumpsuit just looked confused. He thought it was understandable; the man did just suddenly awake and say his name.

"H-h-hai, Yondaime-sama?" Naruto was obviously stunned by the development. Minato quickly realized that Hiruzen hadn't told Naruto about his parentage, which made sense. Iwa was still angry at him no doubt, and putting Naruto in the crossfire of that village was at the top of the list of ways NOT to protect him.

"Come. Here." He called him over, causing Naruto, still wide eyed, to shuffle over to his bedside. Then, slowly, he forced his hand up. He could barely lift it higher than a foot off the bed, but it was high enough to put his hand on his son's chest. He could feel Kiba and Hinata look very intently at the two of them, wondering what was about to happen.

Naruto looked down at the Yondaime's hand on his chest, unsure what to do. He looked back at the man, now smiling, and asked, "Yes, Yondaime-sama?"

Minato took a big breath, and said two words that meant so much to both of them.

"Hello, son."

…..

A little project I wanted to do after I reread A New Chance by Hektols. This will not be a priority by any means. It was just a thing I wanted so start, and see where it goes from there. Just tell me if you like it.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, I have to say it. In no way did I predict this… reaction to this story. I mean, it is beloved. I am certain, that if this story was a person, it would have gotten a dozen marriage proposals. 35 reviews. That is insane. Utterly nuts. And 85 people are already following this. I never knew a story could get such love. I had so low expectations; I didn't expect more than 4 or 5 reviews and maybe a dozen follows. And it isn't stopping. A week later, and I'm still getting reviews, favorites, follows. I really did want to wait to update, until after THHH, but this was quicker to write and I was afraid of a backlash if I didn't update soon. Hope I didn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

…..

"S-s-son?" Naruto began to stutter like a Hyuga heiress.

Minato managed to nod. "Yes, son."

In the same vein as the Hyuga heiress, Naruto fainted.

Minato was only mildly surprised by this response, and forced his body to move so he could check on his son. He looked okay; there was no obvious damage, which Minato breathed a sigh of relief for. He continued to stare at his son, HIS son, when a small voice broke his concentration.

'Y-Y-Yondaime-sama?" He turned to the feminine voice and saw Hinata moving slowly but surely towards them.

"Yes, Hinata?" Minato asked calmly.

Hinata blushed as somehow the Yondaime knew her name, but she was smart enough to realize he must have overheard their conversation.

"A-a-are you really Naruto-kun f-father?" She began to poke her fingers together; something Minato assumed was a nervous habit.

Minato smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"But how?" Kiba asked, incredulous at the development.

"How do you think?" Minato bluntly replied, leading to a small blush from the Inuzuka and a heavy blush from the Hyuga.

"No, I mean… Naruto is an okay guy and all, but he isn't that good at being a ninja! He already failed the Genin Exam! How can he have someone famous and awesome like you be his father?" Kiba asked. "And another thing, how the heck are you here?" Kiba asked the obvious question.

"I see… I am not sure myself. I have a feeling why, but I hope it is not true. As for the second… I don't really know. I had just finished the Shiki Fujin Seal, and has sealed the Yin half of the Kyuubi into myself, and the Yang half into Naruto when I felt a pain. I assumed it was the Shinigami taking my soul, but now I'm not sure. Before I passed out from it, I was able to say a few words to Sarutobi" Minato began to talk more to himself, but revealed shocking information to all conscious children.

"Nani? A double dream? Did I eat bad ramen or something? I mean, the first one I was the Yondaime's son, and now he says I have the Kyuubi sealed into me. Maybe it was the milk, it did taste funny." Naruto began to talk to himself, his reaction catching Minato's attention. Then he looked up to Hinata and Kiba, both of whom had shocked reactions.

"What? What did I say?" Minato was confused by their confusion.

"Did you just say you sealed part of the Kyuubi into Naruto?" Kiba bluntly asked him.

Minato was surprised. "You didn't know?" He looked around and saw it was obvious that they hadn't. "Why would Sarutobi keep that a secret?"

Hinata surprisingly spoke up. "Th-that's why Ko-san s-said to stay away from Naruto-kun." She contemplated aloud, being heard by everyone.

"What did you mean, this Ko said stay away?" Minato asked, not liking what he heard.

"It wasn't just him. A few people in my clan said to stay away from Naruto, that he was dangerous. I thought they were being dumb, but I think get it now."

Naruto began to look wildly around. "Ok, this is getting really weird for a dream. What's next, flying pigs?" He paused, actually waiting for it. "Ok, I guess not them."

"Naruto-kun, this is no dream. I am your father, and I did have to seal part of the Kyuubi into you." Minato tried to get his son to believe, but Naruto was stubborn to a fault.

"No way, that is just ridiculous." All of a sudden, he found himself on the floor, and began to rub his head. He turned to see Kiba, who had just bopped his head. "Kiba, what was that for?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?"

Kiba sighed. "I said, did it hurt?"

"Duh!"

"If that hurt, you can't be in a dream, now can you?" Naruto eyes opened to that basic realization hit him. This was real life. He was the Yondaime's son. He had part of the Kyuubi sealed into him.

"You…why didn't you just kill the Kyuubi? Why did you have to seal the Kyuubi into me?"

Minato had been mentally growling at his hidden fears of being realized, that his village had disobeyed his last decree and had not treated Naruto well. He still heard the question, and quickly explained.

"You can't kill the Kyuubi. It is a mass of charka, and would simply reform in a few years. I tied as much of it as I could with my soul, so it would be sealed away forever in Shinigami's stomach, but I couldn't seal it all. So instead, I sealed the rest in you for protection."

"Protection?" Naruto's exclamation was more accusatory, but Minato explained anyway.

"The Masked Uchiha who attacked me that night will come again, and I wanted to make sure you had the ability to defeat him when he does?"

"Masked Uchiha? What are you talking about? All we learned in school was that the Kyuubi came to Konoha, you had to fight it, and you killed it with the help of your summon." Naruto told his father.

Minato grunted. "Sarutobi kept too much from everyone. Let me explain what happened that night."

Then, to the three people there, he told the story. He first revealed the history of Kyuubi containers in Konoha's history, including Naruto's mother, and the issues of them giving birth. He explained how, as Naruto was born, a masked Uchiha attacked and forced the Kyuubi out of the seal. He then managed to control it and force it to attack. Then, he talked about having to defeat the Uchiha who had kidnapped Naruto and held him hostage. Then, he talked about the tough decision he had to make of sealing away the Kyuubi, and having to worry about the Masked Uchiha. He told them about how he sealed half of it inside himself, and managed to seal the other half into Naruto as Naruto's mother and himself protected from the Kyuubi attack on Naruto to preserve the freedom. Then the pain, and his last words to Sarutobi, that he wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero.

"But apparently this was not the case. The village fell to illogical fears and no doubt horrible rumors. I'm sorry son, about how you were treated." Minato finally finished, looking at his son, whose face was turned down from him. He was scared that it was anger that Naruto was feeling, but then he saw the drips fall to the floor. He wasn't the only one to notice.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata reached out her hand in an effort to comfort him, but was stopped when he began to spoke.

"Don't worry. They weren't too bad on me. Just some name-calling and them ignoring me. A few kids tried to bully me, but I dealt with it. It isn't your fault they didn't listen." He raised his head, tears coming down his face, but he was wearing a smile. "Otou-san."

Minato's eyes immediately teared up due to his son forgiving him. He reached his arms out, and Naruto stepped into them. They wrapped into a big hug, Minato stroking his son's hair while Naruto smiled and cried into his shoulder. Minato saw Hinata gave them a warm smile, while Kiba muttered something about dust.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Naruto. But I will be for now on." Naruto stepped out from the hug and flashed him a big grin. He was happy at the prospect of having a dad.

"I-I always wanted to have a family." Naruto admitted, trying to stop his crying.

Minato smiled. "You will know." He stopped and looked around. "But, a question. Where exactly am I?" Minato couldn't help but ask. He knew his son knew the way, and then he could figure it out by what he told him.

"Umm, I don't really know. I found this place by going into this empty wagon warehouse on the Maple Road."

Minato took a second to think and nod his head. "I know what this is. An ANBU hideout. The question is, how did you sneak in?"

"Because, Minato, I foolishly let the seal protecting it expire." The four people turned to see who spoke. At the door, in full decorum and a walking cane, stood the Hokage with a masked man with spiky grey hair.

"I see. So, could you please explain a few things to me? Like what exactly happened?" Minato asked. He was now sitting on his bed, his energy growing surprisingly fast for a man in a coma for over a decade.

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. Though I believe someone would like to speak with you." He motioned to the masked ninja, who slowly walked towards Minato.

"Hello. Sensei." The masked man politely said, obviously having been struck in some sort of awe.

Minato barely nodded his head. "Kakashi."

Kakashi nervously fidgeted with his hands, he couldn't help himself. "I, I was worried you would never wake up. I've been checking up on you…as often as I can."

"Time better spent checking and help raising my son." Minato bitterly spat, his anger obvious.

"What?" Kakashi was surprised by this response.

"My son was there, alone, no family, and my one student could have helped him, given him that much. But you didn't. Don't you remember what Obito used to say?" Minato was truly angry at this man. "Jiraiya…Jiraiya had an excuse. He has to keep up his spy network, he couldn't raise a child. But you… what's your excuse?"

"But, but I did help, sensei! Who do you think watched him when he was young and defenseless. Who do you think made sure he stayed safe? Made sure he didn't go to a bad family! I did!" Kakashi was quick to defend himself to his sensei. He would never simply let his sensei's son down.

"Anyone could have done that! But you could have given him family! Someone to comfort him! There is no excusing you!" Minato was obviously angry, his eyes turning the barest hint of purple. The three academy students backed away, worried about what was about to happen, but didn't blame Minato one bit. Kiba thought Kakashi was trash for abandoning the pack, Hinata was mad that he didn't help Naruto-kun out. She wanted to, at least, but was too afraid that he wouldn't accept it or would see that she was weak and reject her.

Naruto, he was more broken-hearted. Someone could of cared for him, someone that knew his mother and father, but didn't. Naruto knew that, while he grew up, ANBU had oddly watched out for him. But he didn't ever know it was this guy, in fact, he knew it was a bunch of people. Naruto wasn't sure he could forgive this man.

Kakashi wanted to say something, but really wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't really defend against his sensei's allegations. Finally, Minato told him a command. "I can't even look at you right now, Kakashi. Go!" He pointed to the door.

"But…" Kakashi tried to put up a defense, but Minato simply jabbed his finger to the door.

"Go!"

Kakashi tried to say something, but the Hokage put a hand on his shoulder. "Kakashi, nothing will be solved as of now. It is probably best if you leave."

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something, but silently closed it. He made his exit from the room, obviously dejected.

Minato watched Kakashi leave and calmed himself down. He turned to his son and his friends. "I'm sorry about that, Naruto-kun. Just, that man should have been there for you."

Naruto shook his head. "No dad, I get it. I'm mad too at him." Kiba and Hinata gave confirming nods.

The Hokage stepped into the Kakashi hatefest circle to try and break it. "Anyway, I think it is time I tell you how you survived, Minato."

Eight eyes turned to the old man, and eight ears were ready for every word.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so here is the next chapter of the incredibly loved Second Chance. Multiple things will be addressed, including complaints about my treatment of Kakashi . I hope you enjoy this chapter and keep reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

(P.S. Remember how that jutsu is used before you complain that it doesn't make sense)

…..

"I was shocked, when I reached the scene, to see that you and Kushina were still alive. I would have thought she had already passed because of the Kyuubi being released from her, and I thought that Shinigami would have already taken your soul. I noticed Kushina was making motions and suddenly struck you with a chakra infused strike to your stomach before she passed on. I managed to get to you, and you told me about your final wish before you 'died'. I left with Naruto, to get him to safety, while I told my ANBU to get your bodies to safety. I made the announcement, and was shocked by the backlash and calls for Naruto's execution. I then made it a law that no one was to speak of the Kyuubi inside of you, Naruto, so that you had a chance with the younger generation. Upon returning, I was greeted by an ANBU who told me that you were in fact still alive. You were put on life support, and I and a few medic nins inspected you to see how you lived. I noticed the alteration to your seal, from knowing the basic design from Naruto's seal and, fearing what that meant, called for your student Jiraiya to return from his duties to see what it meant."

"He was back within a few days, and inspected the new seal, until he had determined what had happened. The motions I saw Kushina doing were in preparation of a seal, a powerful seal she had learned in her studies of her clan's fuinjutsu scrolls. It had been apparently created during the times of the Nidaime, when he created that jutsu." The children already knew so much, but there was no reason to reveal to them the existence of that jutsu. "A seal to seal one's soul to their body. You see the…practical uses for it to counter that jutsu, but Kushina used it for her own purposes. To try and prevent the Shinigami from claiming your soul. It worked, for the most part…"

"The most part?" Minato asked, wondering what that could mean.

"Kushina attempts were focused on your soul, and not the Yin portion of the Kyuubi, so the Shinigami took as much of it as it could. It also tried to take your soul, but the seal worked mostly. However, it was able to take a small, but sizable portion of your soul."

"What exactly does that mean?" Naruto asked, the first to voice the question to what did it mean if you lost part of your soul.

"From what we can tell, it does not mean you will became more "soulless" or "heartless", but instead will limit your capabilities. A full soul has full capabilities but a non-whole one…"

"Means I can't be the shinobi I once was, ever." The realization hit Minato really hard, that he could never be able to protect the village he always cared about like he once did.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, but you can still be a fine one, Minato."

The three kids looked at one another. "A-ano, w-what about the Kyuubi in Y-Yondaime-sama?" Hinata stuttered out, wondering what happened to it. Was it fully gone?

Sarutobi looked at her, and back to Minato. "Consider it a blessing that a portion of it was still left in you, Minato. If it had been fully extracted, you would have died due to the damage once incurs when a piece of one's soul has been ripped out. It has also kept your mind intact, a blessing in itself."

Minato nodded. "I have to say so. I think…I think it is helping with my energy as well. I felt so tired when I woke up, but now, but now I feel like I could do so much." A small grumble was heard. "Especially eat."

Sarutobi nodded. "Of course. I will retrieve a nurse to get some food for you, while another can watch over you three." He looked over them. "There are quite a few things we will have to discuss before you are let go." Sarutobi then made a seal that normally would make Naruto Uzumaki famous. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Two Sarutobi's appeared, and left the room to fufill those tasks.

He then turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I have to tell you… that I'm sorry. I know you may hate me, for keeping your heritage or the secret of the Kyuubi, but believe I thought it was in your best interest. And I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you better from the scorn of the villagers."

Naruto shrugged it off. "That's okay, Jiji. It doesn't matter, you at least tried your best." He sat on the bed, next to his father. "I know now, and I have my otou-san with me, so everything will get better!" He ended with a smile.

It warmed Sarutobi's heart, the real smile Naruto gave. "Yes Naruto. Yes it will."

Minato took a breath to take it all in, and decided it was time for him to get and now his son. "So, Naruto, tell me about yourself. I want to know about my son."

Naruto gave a grin as Minato learned about his son. "Well, I'm eleven years old and live in a pretty okay apartment by myself. I love to prank people, especially big jerks. I also like to garden a bit, "Nartuo kicked Kiba in the shins when he gave a slight chuckle, "and train to become Hokage some day!"

Minato gave a smile. "So, you want to be like me, huh?"

Naruto gave a slight blush at the realization. "I guess that's right. I always looked up to you, wanting to be like you. Who would have ever thought you would be my dad?"

Minato gave a small chuckle. "It's good to know I was your idol, even thought I wasn't around." He let out a sigh

"What is it, dad?" Minato loved hearing Naruto call him that.

"Oh, its just, I can't wait to begin teaching you. This…coma has been stopping me, but I promise, I will make that up to you and you will become Hokage."

Naruto took a gulp ."Do you mean that? You will help me and everything."

Minato suddenly pulled his son into a hug. "Of course. That is what a dad is supposed to do, help their kids achieve their dreams

Naruto froze for a moment, then slowly hugged back his dad. "Thank you." Was all that he could say, as he tried to keep his eyes dry.

Hinata gave a warm smile at the heartwarming scene, and Kiba looked on feeling happy for his buddy and a bit jealous about Naruto's luck of getting his father back. Sarutobi watched on with a smile on his face, when the memory of one of his kage bunshin came back to him. "Food will be here in a moment, Minato." Minato broke from the hug slowly, turning to his predecessor and successor.

"Thank you."

Sarutobi began to nod his head, but was stopped by the dispelling of his other Kage Bunshin. "Also, a nurse to watch you three is on the way. I apologize, Naruto, about having to break up this reunion but there are some important issues I have to talk to your father about immediately."

Naruto hesitantly accepted. "Alright, Jiji." He got off the bed, and stood with Kiba and Hinata. Two nurses soon entered the room, one ushering out the trio and taking them to a separate room while the other gave him a meal of rice with broth, fish, and some pickled vegetables. Bowing to the two leaders, she let them leave.

Minato began to eat his meal as Sarutobi began to cast multiple privacy jutsus and seals to make sure his conversation with Minato went off in total secrecy. Minato quickly devoured everything on his plate, a not unexpected action from someone in a coma for 11 years. Finishing off the second of two glasses of water given to him, Minato set his tray to the side, signaling to Sarutobi that he was ready to talk.

"I have to say, I'm surprised." Sarutobi admitted to the blonde, who was slowly trying to move his legs to get the blood circulating/

"About what?" Minato asked, unsure what he could exactly be surprised about.

"Your anger. Why is it focused on Kakashi, and not myself, or Jiraiya, or your best friend Hizashi Hyuga?" He was going to mention the fate of the man's friend later on.

"Simple. I expected Kakashi to be the one to step up and raise my son."

"Isn't that a little unfair? He was barely a teenager himself when you went into your coma, he had lost all of his teammates and then his sensei. A boy taking on that sort of duty, under those circumstances…" The Hokage tried to defend Kakashi, a loyal man who he thought shouldn't be getting the blame.

"True, he was a bit young when it happened, but he has had eleven years to get over it and stop the same pain and loneliness that he went through when his father committed seppuku from occurring to my son. I may have made sensei his godfather, but I even told Kakashi that, if something were to happen to me and Kushina, that he was to raise Naruto in our place. A few years leeway, sure, but what happened? He abandoned him, Sarutobi. Abandoned him. That is something I will not soon forget."

"I never knew…you told him?" Minato nodded to his question. "But still, why do you feel no hate to me, or your sensei, or your best friend?"

"That is not completely true, Sarutobi." Minato corrected the man. "I am a bit mad at your three, but I know you each had good reasons. You were, no doubt in my mind, going to be named Hokage again, and Biwako, your wife of 40 years, had just died. You also were here for Naruto, I can tell simply by the name he calls you, Jiji." Minato smiled at that. "I thank you for your efforts, but I cannot help but wish you had done more."

"Jiraiya should have been there when Kakashi failed his duty, as godfather alone he should have had a role in Naruto's life, but he has his duties as spymaster for Konoha which keep him away for long periods of time. He couldn't bring Naruto along, and simply leaving him here alone for months at a time might have been more cruel. If Kakashi had done as I asked, then he could have done so. No, it was quite possibly for the best Naruto and he did not meet yet." His demeanor cracked into a smile. "And my son wouldn't be perverted like he is." Sarutobi decided to let Minato learn from his son about how perverted he actually was. Damn Oiroke no Jutsu, he couldn't help but thinking to himself.

"As for Hizashi, well, he is a branch member of the Hyuga clan. If he had wanted to adopt my son, he would have been marked. And had I woken up to find this out, I would probably kill Hiashi for putting that damned mark on my son's head, a mark which I still have not figured out to cancel or remove. Though while I see he has the stolen the heart of his niece, something he hasn't realized yet, what is his relationship to his son, my godchild, Neji?"

Sarutobi sighed, not wishing he would have to bring it up this soon. He had also forgotten about Minato's status as godfather over him. "None, but it is not by Hizashi's choice. It is a sad tale, but one you must know. Kumo tried to attack us after the Kyyubi's destruction to our village, but we repelled them and forced them to sign a treaty roughly three years." Minato grumbled at the actions of the Raikage A, but he was not surprised by what the man had done. "They sent their Head Jonin to sign the treaty here in Konoha, but it was a damn ploy. They used it as an attempt to kidnap the Hyuga heiress, the very girl you met. She was only three at the time, there was little she could do, but Hiashi… but Hiashi was brutal when he caught up with and killed the man. That was when things got bad. Kumo claimed innocence, and threatened to restart the war unless they got the body of Hiashi Hyuga."

"What did you do?" Minato, had he been at full strength, would have already been making plans to 'talk' with the Raikage, and he was not looking forward to hear how this story ended.

"I told the Hyuga clan to obey. As precious as that one person may be, the safety of Konoha overrides the safety of any one man. Hiashi was ready to obey, but the elders made the suggestion to use Hizashi, his twin. Hiashi confessed to me he tried to stop it, but Hizashi told him it was his way of being free, of escaping the mark. So, Hizashi's life was ended and he was sent to Kumo. They were quite angry with us, but we were able to claim it was Hiashi's and they were forced to honor their commitment."

Minato sighed, and laid back. After a minute of thinking, he smiled. "He found a way to escape the mark. Way to go, Hizashi." He looked up to the Hokage. "Anything else of note happen?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, something that ties directly to your masked Uchiha."

Minato nearly jumped out of his bed. "What?"

"Well, if Itachi is correct, that masked Uchiha was in fact Madara Uchiha."

"Madara? Impossible? He died… he died decades ago!"

Sarutobi nodded. "I wish that was the case, but it is not. No, Itachi is certain that it is Madara."

Minato glared downwards, his fears about the dangers of the masked man realized. Then, an obvious question hit him. "Itachi? As in Fugaku and Mikoto's child? How did he find out?"

Sarutobi sighed. "He is now an undercover agent for Konoha in a group called Akatsuki, a group Madara secretly fronts."

"Akatsuki, isn't that the name of the group of rebels from Amegakure?" Minato asked.

The old man nodded. "Hai, but they reformed after their first failure and have defeated Hanzo and taken control of Ame. Their goals beyond this…we fear might include the Kyuubi, but we are not sure."

"Anything that damned Uchiha is involved with is sure to be trouble. How did you begin to suspect this Akatsuki group?"

"Jiraiya found them on his hunt for Orochimaru, apparently they let him join. Then, their leader convinced Itachi to join once he was on the run, where he met up with Madara again."

"On the run? Again? What exactly did Itachi do?"

Sarutobi told him. About the suspicions of the Uchiha clan based on the eyewitness testimony of multiple ANBU who saw an Uchiha flee the scene and knowledge that only a Sharingan can control a tailed beast. The Uchiha clan deciding they were being mistreated. Plans for a revolt. Itachi, the prodigal ANBU captain acting as a double agent. The Uchiha's getting suspicious. The orders of extermination handed down from the elders. Sparing his little brother. The lie that everyone was told. The revelation of an accomplice, a masked Uchiha named Tobi, who he believes to be Madara.

Minato listened to all of this, and mourned quietly. He knew many of the Uchiha, had trusted his life to many of the Uchiha, and he mourned their lives, and decision that brought them death. He mourned his wife's friend, his rival, he mourned the Uchiha.

Somberly he began to swing his legs off of the bed, letting them dangle off the floor. Then, with great care, he forced himself to stand up. Sarutobi rushed him, making sure he didn't fall.

"Minato, you have just been in a coma for over a decade! You need to rest until your body is ready." He sternly told him, not wanting something bad to happen to him.

Minato used his bed as support. "I have been resting for a decade, if anything I need to move around. And don't worry, it seems the Kyuubi's chakra, whatever is left of it, is helping me get better at an incredible rate." He let go of the bed as support and made a step for the door. It wasn't pretty, but it was progress.

Sarutobi made his way next to him. "Why are you in such a hurry to move?"

Minato didn't say anything, but forced his legs to move forward. He managed to make it to the door before he needed a rest. His legs, despite the healing properties of the Kyuubi, were aching from the sudden use. He put his hand against the wall, giving time for the pain to dull. Sarutobi was still next to him. "Minato, there is no need to walk to get Naruto. I could send for him."

Minato just shook his head. "Not Naruto." He grabbed the door handle and opened the door, marching his way through. It was then when Sarutobi realized that Minato was only wearing a hospital gown.

"You realize you need some clothes first? You are only in a hospital gown."

Minato looked down, and realized this was true. "Fine," he spoke. A nurse in the hallway, the one that brought him food, caught his eye. "Nurse-chan, bring me a pair of clothes and a bouquet of red roses."

The nurse simply nodded and complied.

Sarutobi was confused. "What are the flowers for? Where are you going?"

"Kushina."


	4. Chapter 4

Sarutobi looked at the two clan heads standing across from him in his office, Hiashi Hyuga and Tsume Inuzuka, and mentally sighed. He was going to get a lot of lip from them for what he was about to reveal.

"I am sorry for interrupting your busy days, but a matter has come up that needed to be brought to both of your intentions." Nothing was said by either party; both patiently waiting for the reasoning, but Sarutobi could tell Tsume was a little bit on edge.

"Today, I apprehended your daughter, Hinata; your son Kiba, and Naruto Uzumaki inside of a classified area." This simple little comment caused a reaction to both clan heads.

"What the heck was my brat doing with your brat and the Uzumaki brat?" She turned to Hiashi, seemingly to blame him.

Hiashi let out a small sigh. "If I'm correct, then they were both fooled into believing a highly disrespectful prank Uzumaki tried to pull in the academy today."

"What are you talking about?" Tsume bluntly asked the proper clan leader.

"Uzumaki is taking classes with my nephew, who is set to graduate next month, as he is attempting to graduate early. Today, my nephew told me about how the Uzumaki said he found the Yondaime alive and was willing to prove it. Somehow, he convinced my daughter and your son into coming with him. I always knew my daughter's skills were weak, but being unable to catch such a blatant lie? An outrage to the Hyuga name!" He firmly spoke to the room.

Sarutobi nodded. "Quite true. Such a blantant lie should be caught by a well-trained Hyuga. However, it was no lie."

Even Hiashi couldn't stop himself from whipping his neck around, like Tsume did. "What are you talking 'bout, Hokage-sama?" She was quick to ask.

"Naruto Uzumaki was not telling a lie. Until this information is revealed to the public, this is a SSS class secret, understand?" Sarutobi told them.

Shocked by the insane classification level, both quietly complied. "You both know the full story of how Minato defeated the Kyuubi, correct?"

Hiashi nodded. "Of course, you told the jonin council this years ago. Sealing half inside himself to got with him to Shinigami, he sealed the other half inside the Uzumaki. He couldn't seal the entire beast into himself and for his plan to work to save Konoha, he was forced to divide the burden between himself and an orphan."

Sarutobi listened to the rehash of what he told them 11 years before, and nodded. "That is what you were told. However, much was kept from the council that day." He then proceeded to tell them the (almost) complete story, about what Kushina had done, about Naruto's true heritage, and how Minato had been kept in a secret base until that time he recovered.

At the end of the story, Hiashi was contemplative and Tsume was pissed.

"Why couldn't you trust us? You know none of us would ever betray you! The clans of Konoha are your most loyal of followers. Even the bastard Uchihas, bless them in their grave could be trusted." Tsume barked out, wishing she had brought her partner for back up.

It hurt Sarutobi the irony in that statement, but there was nothing he could say to it but, "I did not want a perverse bidding war for a boy because of his legacy when his father had a chance to wake up and raise his son. And I did not want to raise people's hopes if Minato had never woke up, or had simply passed away during his coma. While far from ideal, I did what I thought was best in the situation."

Tsume attempted to argue, but Hiashi interrupted her. "I understand, Hokage-sama. If it had been me, I would have made the same decision."

Tsume turned her head to the Hyuga. "What have you been drinking, Hiashi-san?"

Hiashi ignored the insult but answered the Inuzuka head. "Secrets are better kept in the hands for a few. If you want proof of this, look at what happened to Naruto-sama's secret of containing the Kyuubi. Once it was known to the masses, lies and corruption of the original tale were created, as were conspiracies, until the truth was hidden and a system of hatred was developed towards him."

Tsume shot out a glare to the Hyuga, but turned in a huff away from him. "So, Hokage-sama, what is going to happen to my pup? And Hiashi's little girl, too?"

Sarutobi simply sighed. "It is very complicated. While I wish I could simply keep your children at the base and not let them out until I announce to the public the survival of Minato, trying so would be very foolish. Between your two clans, you would find the location and compromise a safehouse if you chose to object to my plan. So rather, I am ordering that they be reprimanded to the compound house for the next week or so, until the revelation can be made."

Tsume thought about it for a moment, and gave a small grin. "That isn't too bad. I can make Kiba do chores until he drops."

Hiashi ignored the scheming of the woman next to him and gave a curt nod, signaling agreement to the solution. "It would be best to do so." He paused for a moment, and decided to ask. "Has Minato said anything about his duties as Neji's godfather?"

Ignoring Tsume's surprise at the statement, Sarutobi nodded. "He knows of Hizashi's fate, and from what I felt when I spoke with him, he is quite angry with Kumo right now. For his duties…he has other things he needs to contend with first."

Hiashi could guess what that meant, and nodded in agreement.

…

Minato was now able to freely walk without too much of a hassle, and did so on the outskirts of Konoha with his son and ANBU assistant. He and his son wore black cloaks over their clothing, his son's orange jumpsuit and the white dress shirt and the navy blue shinobi pants he had been given. Each man had a bouquet of roses in their hands, as they quietly followed the ANBU assistant to their destination.

Naruto eventually broke the silence. "What was she like?"

Minato, knowing implicitly who he was talking about, gave a warm smile. "She always love to talk, and had the most cheerful personality, just like you seem too." Naruto smiled at the compliment.

"What else?" He asked, almost impatiently.

Naruto let his mind wander as he thought about his long deceased wife. "Quick to temper. If you did anything wrong to her, you'd be sure to know. A bit of a tomboy at heart though, she hated girly colors and girly things. Fearless too. One time, during the treaty discussions during the Third Shinobi War, she smacked the Yondaime Kazekage for not trying hard enough to do a good job for his people. It surprised everyone at the table."

"She was also very loyal to Konoha, even though she wasn't from here."

Naruto was surprised. "What do you mean, she wasn't from Konoha?" He had not expected this fact at all.

Minato explained. "Your mother was from the island village off the coast of the Land of Fire, in the Land of Whirlpools. It was destroyed by Kumo, Iwa, and Yugakure during the Second Shinobi War because of how they feared how strong it would become if left unchecked for any longer. Your mother was in a clan that based itself in the Land of Whirlpools who was already feared, and was sent to Konoha for training by the clan due to their good relations with us…among other things." Minato never liked talking about the burden his wife held, the same burden passed onto their son. "After her village was destroyed, she eventually steeled herself to becoming the best member of Konoha she could be, so she chose the goal of Hokage to do such a thing."

Naruto was quiet as he thought about what his father said. Eventually he turned to him and simply said. "I wish I had met her."

Minato simply gave him a soft smile. "I know son. I wish you could have met her too."

They were heading through a break into the forest into the desired field when the ANBU stopped them.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, looking around in some worry. His mind immediately drifted to a ninja attack, which scared him. His dad, a weird concept for him but the truth, wsa very powerful but was still fairly weak, and he, thought destined to become Hokage, couldn't even do a Bunshin correctly. He just hoped the ANBU would be enough if it was an attack.

"It appears someone else is already at the grave." Naruto looked through the gap and saw the ninja, Kakashi, who was supposed to watch him but didn't, kneeling in front of a grave. Naruto was wondering what the heck he was doing, and looked up at his father to see what he thought. His father was staring at the man too, very intently. Naruto decided to say nothing for once.

…

Kakashi knew they were there. He wasn't a top jonin for nothing. But he was going to finish this conversation before he left his sensei and his son alone to speak.

"I just…I hope you don't think I failed him. It is bad enough for sensei to think that, but if you both… I made a promise that day to never turn my back on my comrades and I think I kept it. I'm almost certain I did. I just hope sensei understands this soon. He's here to talk to you now. And Naruto's here too. That is one thing I could have done, taking him here. But I think it was probably for him to come and see you with his father. Hopefully it won't take me eleven years to see you again, Kushina-sama. Good day."

With that, Kakashi shunshin'd out of the field and left the three he sensed to do what they came to do.

Minato slowly walked behind the ANBU assistant to the grave Kakashi had been at, only confirming his suspicions. Naruto solemnly followed as they crossed the field, before the ANBU stopped in front of a grave marker. "Her final resting place is here, Minato-sama. I will leave you and your child to mourn." The ANBU quickly vanished from sight, though he was not completely gone.

The two blondes each had their bouquet of roses in front of them as they read the grave in front of them.

_Here lies the remains of Kushina Uzumaki, wife of the Yondaime Hokage, heiress of the former Uzumaki clan July 10 XXXX – October 10 XXXX._

"Mom was a heiress?" Naruto asked as he read the grave marker.

Minato slowly nodded as he was pulled out of his focus of his beloved's last resting place. "By Konoha's standards she was, but not to the Uzumaki clan. She was only called that since her mother was considered the top ninja in the clan, and the de facto leader"

Naruto simply nodded and stared at the grave marker some more. Finally taking the intiative, he put his bouquet of roses in front of the marker and kissed it.

"Hey mom, it's me Naruto. I'm, I'm sorry that I didn't come here before, but I wish I had. Jiji told me that you both had died beating the Kyuubi, and I wanted to visit your graves, but I wasn't allowed. Dad is here though, he's been in a coma for a while, since you saved his life." By this point, Naruto was fighting tears as his words grew deeper and more emotional. "Thank you for that. You found a way so that I could have a parent. Even though he wasn't there for me when I was little, he's here now, and he is never going to leave." Naruto flashed a big grin to the marker, trying to show her spirit how much it meant to him. "Dad told me that you loved me and couldn't wait to raise me. And thinking on it…I love you too, kaa-chan." With that line, Naruto backed from the marker and wiped his eyes.

Minato gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, and then laid his flowers on the grave marker before giving it a kiss. "It's me Kushina. It has taken me 11 years, but I can finally say thank you. I thought I was going to die that day, but you figured out a way to save me and stop Naruto from losing the chance to know his parents. I love you so much, and I will accomplish our dream together. I became Hokage, and I will now raise Naruto to be the best he can be, like we said we would." Turning to Naruto, he asked. "Can you give me a second alone with Kushina-chan, Naruto?" Naruto nodded, and backed off to let his dad have a few private words with his mom.

Judging Naruto to be far enough away, Minato kneeled in front of the grave. "I wish it had been you, " He began to confess, "I wish it had been you that survived and not me. I had been prepared to die that day to save Konoha, but you weren't. You just expected to have a tough, but rewarding birth, and the chance to hold our son. Not to let the beast get free and ruin our village." His fingers went over her name slowly. "I'm going to miss you. I mean, of course I would, but I really will. I can promise you there will never be anyone else for me, and I will do my best to raise Naruto, even though he has pretty much raised himself. I can't wait to see you again, but don't hate me when I say I hope it isn't soon. I love you, my fiery Habanero." Minato didn't notice the tears coming from his eyes, until he realized the tears dropping onto the grave marker as he kissed it again. He wiped his eyes clear and stood up, beckoning his son over. "Come on, Naruto. I want to take you to my and Kushina's house. Your new home."

Naruto's eyes went wide at the thought of having a home. He didn't say anything though, but just walked slowly to his father. The ANBU assistant came into view, and followed the duo to their new home.

…

I know some people don't like my treatment of Kakashi, but it will remain in place for a while. This is NOT Kakashi bashing, however. This is just a character not liking another character because he has lost all trust in him.

Hiashi and Tsume don't know everything that their children know, but they know enough so that they won't be interrogating them on what THEY know.

Jiraiya will come in next chapter, and the rebirth of Minato as a ninja will come with it. Don't worry, Naruto will start getting his badass levels up next chapter too. Look for Chapter 6 to be the big reveal to Konoha, near the end.

And don't worry, the Neji-godfather fact will be addressed next time. Until then, relax!


	5. Chapter 5

"Sev-en-ty eight!" Naruto pushed his body off the ground, his stamina finally beginning to wear on him. Minato looked on, somewhat embarrassed that his 11 year old son had beaten him in a contest of push-ups by so much. He had only enough stamina to last twenty eight pushups at the moment, good for a man in his physical condition, and a miracle for one who had only been in a coma four days beforehand. The Kyuubi's chakra, the only part of the beast left inside of him, was quick to replenish his energy levels and let him continue the almost nonstop training he had been going under. His muscles, while deteriorated, were not totally lost and were very quick to come back too acceptable levels. His other capabilities were still well below what he wanted. A nine minute mile, fourty six sit-ups, sixty three jumping jacks. He knew he had to grow strong, for his son, for his future, for his village.

Village. Konoha, he admitted to himself, was not anywhere near the same high opinion he held of it in life before the coma. Though he admitted to himself he should have foreseen the poor treatment of his son. A common villager, or even many of the shinobi, would not understand how great of a seal master he was and could see that if he sealed a spirit inside of something, it was safe. But no, all they saw was the beast and feared when it would take over. The lack of confidence the village showed in him afterlife appalled him, but it had saved itself from his hatred. Only twice did people try and kill his son, but the matter was dealt with before his son was at any risk. And in the last ten years, no adult went out of their way to physically hurt him, just a blanket shunning of him. There were gaps to this, however. A foster mother for his first two years. A less biased orphanage owner for five. A fair landlord for the last four. Other people who acknowledged him, and not the demon, like the Ichikaru's. And the youth, some of the smarter youth found companionship with his son. The child of Tsume and Kiba Sr. (Kami bless his soul), of Shikaku and Yoshino, Chouza and Negami, and Hiashi and Hitomi, though neither knew of how their daughter cared for him( and Hitomi never would). He still loved the village, and its people, that would never die. However, the faith he once had in the village to do the moral good had diminished greatly.

He watched his son push himself up again. "Eigh-ty!" He let out a great huff, and went to his knees and elbows. Panting a bit, Naruto looked up to his father and let out a grin. "That was (huff) really tough (huff) especially after (huff) the sit ups (huff) and the jumping jacks."

Minato nodded. "Though it is good to see how well physically fit you are. You will not be easily winded in a fight or a mission." Naruto smiled at his dad.

"Well, that is because (huff) I'm always training and stuff.(huff)" He exclaimed to his dad.

Minato hid the regret in his face. His son should have had a bunch of friends to play with, parents to love and care for him, he shouldn't of have to of always been training. His strength, his speed, his intensity, all great things, but the cost had been too great in Minato's eyes.

"Well, that is good to hear, but I don't want you to overdue. Focusing on training too much can make you miss the little things that you should enjoy." Minato told his son, thinking of Kakashi and Rin as prime examples.

Naruto frowned. "But if I don't train as much as I can,(huff) then how can I ever become Hokage like you, Dad?"

Minato smiled, and ruffled the hair of his son. "Well, it took me years to become strong enough to earn the right to be Hokage. But you don't need to focus it all on training, you need to take a break and enjoy the good things in life."

Naruto took a few breathes to normalize his breathing. "Like what?"

A new voice suddenly popped up. "Like girls! You're what now, 11? I bet you are noticing the fine feminine physique!" Suddenly, through the door of the modest home that Minato lived in on the outskirts of the village, an older man appeared. With his long spiky white hair, odd headband, giant scroll on his back, and lecherous face, Naruto wasn't sure what to think of this newcomer, even if he did cause a blush to come to his face.

He jumped to his feet and in front of his dad, who he knew still wasn't physically strong enough to fight someone yet. "Who are you?"

The old man grinned at the opportunity to introduce himself. He began to move across the room in an odd formalized dance as he spoke. "I am the Great Toad Sage of Mt. Myobuku, the man woman love to love and men love to hate, the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya!"

Naruto processed the information for a second, before sighing. "Oh, you're just my dad's old pervert sensei." He was actually disappointed, wanting someone to fight.

Jiraiya face-vaulted. Picking himself up, he looked toward Minato. "Is that all you told of him about me? That I'm a pervert."

Minato let out a smirk and shook his head. "Of course not, sensei. But Naruto calls out people as he sees them."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes to his greatest student, and turned back to Naruto. "I don't know what your father has told you, but I am a great and brave shinobi who taught your father everything, " A small cough came from besides Naruto, "almost everything he knows. And to have you know, I am not a pervert." He suddenly looked both ways, and gave him a very perverted grin. "I'm a super pervert!"

Naruto glared at the old man, and smirked. "A super pervert, eh? Then you will be super affected by my anti-pervert jutsu!" As Naruto brought his hands together, Minato looked on in interest. He hadn't heard about his son having an anti-pervert jutsu, and was actually proud. His son respected women and would not follow in the footsteps of his father's sensei, a lecherous perv.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" A puff of smoke came into existence and, as it dispersed, a transformed Naruto came into existence. Naruko, Naruto's name for his sexy female version, stood tall with blond pigtails and a busty body, large perky breasts and swaying wide hips. The only thing that hid them was the strategic smoke clouds around them, but the shadows told the story.

Minato face-vaulted, crying silently about his son's technique and that he was in fact a pervert. He said it was anti-pervert, but only a pervert would use a transformation of a naked woman as a technique.

Jiraiya had not expected such a beauty, a naked one at that, to suddenly appear, so he fell prey to the jutsu and shot across the room and out the door, a blood trail following his projectory.

The Naruko in front of both smirked. "You aren't so strong if this beat you so easily!" Naruko then poofed out of existence, and the sweaty Naruto in orange gym shorts and a white undershirt came back into existence. He began to laugh at the fallen Sannin, when a bop in the head came from behind. Turning around, rubbing the spot, he saw an annoyed look on his father.

"What?" He expertly gave his father the Puppy Eye Jutsu, one he had been quick to form since his father came back into his life.

Minato sighed, still under prey to that jutsu. "Just wake up my sensei, and go out front and relax. We have important matters to discuss."

Naruto nodded to demanded, and went to wake up Jiraiya. He shook him up, laughing at the stupid grin on his face. Jiraiya sat up and, with his job done, Naruto left to relax in the front yard. Minato and Kushina had chosen a house that had little in the back but a big front yard. The thinking behind this was that they had nothing to hide and they wanted to be able to see any enemies that came to them, as the other three sides of the two story four bedroom house had strong protective seals guarding them from enemy attacks from the forest. Jiraiya closed the door behind him, and looked towards his student, tears in his eyes.

"Didn't think you would wake up, you know that gaki?" He smiled at him , showing how he cared.

Minato only shrugged. "You should know better than anyone then not to underestimate me, sensei."

Jiraiya nodded. "True, but to survive having your soul ripped out? You'd have to be inhuman to survive it."

Minato frowned at the choice of words, and Jiraiya caught it almost immediately. "I mean, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying-" Minato cut him off.

"I know what you meant, and I understand. The Kyuubi's power… what I have left of it, gives me advantages over a normal person. Healing, stamina, power. All things that will help me on my road to recovery. Of that, I am thankful for it."

Jiraiya nodded knowingly. "It will allow you to gain strength quickly, though you will almost never be at the same levels you once were."

Minato sighed and nodded to the statement. "True, but there are other ways to grow strong. I will still have seals, and I can still try to complete the Rasengan. And, in time, I will take you up on the offer you made me before the war."

Jiraiya perked his head up. "Becoming a sage? Really?"

Minato nodded. "I will need every ounce of power possible, to deal with the threats that still face us. Like Akatsuki, and Madara Uchiha."

Jiraiya grunted. "I still need a lead into Akatsuki. Despite being able to be focused on it when Orochimaru joined, I couldn't find a way in."

Minato kept quiet on the possibility to using Itachi, as Sarutobi explained that it had to be kept a secret from all, that Itachi could not be questioned as the villain or else they would lose everything.

"Don't worry, we will find out what they want and stop them." Minato tried to keep it upbeat.

His sensei acknowledged his effort and gave a weak smile. Letting out a big sigh, then, Jiraiya took a seat on the bench in the room. Minato decided to sit next to him, waiting for Jiraiya to ask him.

"So, I heard about how you are treating Kakashi." Jiraiya began, looking to his student.

"And?" He asked, quite simply.

"Why haven't you yelled at me, then? I am his godfather, I should have been there for him." Jiraiya put the issue out on the table, making Minato explain.

"For one, I really didn't expect you to raise him if we died early. I told Kakashi to do so if the event arose. Secondly, no offense to you, I wouldn't want a pervert such as yourself to raise my son. I wouldn't want him to pick up your bad habits, something that has seemingly failed, as you see with that jutsu he used on you."

Jiraiya let himself chuckle a bit. "True, but that was a mighty fine jutsu he used though." A grin spread across his face.

Minato shook his head at the sensei's antics. "Finally, you have shown to me regret. You are saying that you are wrong, and know you should have done more. And from what I've seen, Kakashi doesn't realize this. He thinks the little he did do, that anyone could have done, was enough for him to do. He doesn't regret he didn't do more. Until he tells me that he failed to do the best he could have done with my son, I am going to leave Kakashi out of my new life."

Jiraiya understood what Minato was getting at, and knew that it was a very Minato-ish way of dealing with things. Soon, the discussion went to Jiraiya's travels, and the success of his books. Minato frowned upon hearing the nature of them.

"We told you that your first book had been great. Did you really have to switch to smut writing?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Hey, it is still quality writing. I just… sex it up. I know you will love it."

Minato grimaced at the comment. "I'll pass, thank you very much. But when you write your next normal book, I'll be the first to read it."

Deciding this was the perfect segway, Jiraiya said. "Maybe, but I still make millions on royalties. But I need all that money for my spy network. And since I am going to be staying in Konoha more often, to see you and your brat, I don't want to have to pay for a hotel every time. And this house does have two extra bedrooms…"

Minato shook his head and smiled. "Sure, sensei. It would be a waste of space otherwise, and it would be rude to force you to find a room elsewhere when you are here visiting us."

Jiraiya grinned, but then there was a knock on the door. "Naruto?" Minato asked.

"Uhhh, yeah. Hinata and her dad are here too, to see you." Minato was surprised. How did Hiashi enter through the protection seal he had left? He knew that Tsume and Hiashi knew that he was alive and about, but not where he lived. It was hardwired to the warm blood of a few people he trusted, someone Hiashi was not one of.

"Sure, son, come in." Naruto opened the door, letting Hinata come in, wearing a proper deep purple kimono with Hiashi in a pristine white kimono following behind them, head up high. Minato and Jiraiya stood up.

"Hello, Hiashi-san. Hinata-san." Minato politely greeted them, while Jiraiya gave a simple nod for his greeting.

"Minato-sama. Jiraiya-sama. It is good to see you both. I have come here to talk with you on something important. And Hinata, she came here to check on your well-being." Hiashi told Minato properly.

Minato nodded. "I understand." Looking down to Hinata, he gave her a small smile. "And thank you for your concern, Hinata-san. I am doing very well."

Turning back to Jiraiya, Minato said. "Please, watch over Naruto and Hinata-san. Hiashi and I have much to discuss." Jiraiya nodded in acceptance of his duties, as Hiashi and Minato left the room to Minato's small office he had built, the proper location for official discussions.

Jiraiya looked at the two 11 year olds he had been charged to watch, and saw the glances each were giving one another. From the perspective of an 11 year old, Jiraiya understood. The Hyuga girl was no doubt cute, especially in the kimono, and his words earlier about girls had no doubt stayed in Naruto's head. Reversely, Naruto was a very fit pre-teen whose sweaty undershirt failed to hide a set of abs Jiraiya was jealous of in his fifty years of age. Both were checking the other out, giving Jiraiya the idea for the plot of his newest story. Two kids, always attracted to one another since a young age, fight through the difficulties of the world to eventually get married and have the wedding night of the century. Jiraiya liked the idea of the story.

"Hyuga-san, just because my godson is glistening doesn't mean you to get to gawk. And gaki, just because she is in a kimono and you think she is cute doesn't mean you get to drool."

The two eleven year old blush a storm at the old man's accusations, secretly wondering if the other was checking them out. Hinata was both receptive and scared of the concept, while Naruto was surprised and embarrassed at the idea of a girl checking him out. When he had been thinking on Jiraiya's words, he had thoughts of the pink haired Sakura from his class, but now that Hinata was in the mix, he was flustered.

Minato and Hiashi were now in the office, talking about important matters.

"How did you manage to slip past my seal?" Minato bluntly asked, curious to how Hiashi broke out.

"I did not slip past it, I simply used it. Hizashi's and my blood is the same, a seal for one will activate for the other."

Minato, realizing the truth in that statement, nodded in understanding. An embarrassment slip by him, but something he could learn from. "So, I presume you wish to talk about Neji?"

"Yes. I would like for you to invoke your right as godfather and task custody of Neji."

Minato was stunned by the statement. He had never thought that Hiashi would advocate such an act. He would have sworn he would have wanted to keep Neji to the Hyuga clan. So, hesitantly, Minato tried to discover why Hiashi proposed this. "I don't agree with that idea, Hiashi. He has lived with your clan for his entire life, and is meant to be your daughter's protector."

Hiashi let out a sigh. "That may be true, but I believe it would be for the best. He has become obsessed with the idea of fate, and has grown to hate the Main Branch family. Regardless of your opinion of the split of the households, having one who hates the other is not good for the future of the clan. Especially one as talented as Neji."

"Talented? How so?"

"So talented the elders have discussed commissioning our seal masters to find a way to remove the seal and make him a part of main branch and heir."

"What of your daughter? Does she not deserve to be heiress?" Minato asked.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. "My eldest daughter Hinata is too weak, much too weak to think of leading the Hyuga clan. She lacks the will of the Hyuga."

Minato frowned at the idea. "Hizashi often said the elders thought the same of your wife."

Hiashi flared his nostrils at the insult, but made no other facial expression. "While it was said she was too gentle, she was as strong as any other Hyuga. Hinata, however, falls to her sister over four years younger then her."

Minato's eyebrows furrowed at the comment, no matter how damning it was. He decided he was going to fix that, since it was obvious the Hyuga family had lost faith in her and made her lose faith in itself.

"Still, do you not want Neji to be a part of your clan, if elders want him to become heir?"

Hiashi was silent for a moment, before he confessed. "There is also a movement among the main branch to find an offense that Neji may commit and use the seal mercilessly against him, until he may accidentally die. I don't know names, but it is there."

Minato nodded. "Jealousy, then. So this is more to protect him?"

"To protect my brother's son? Of course. I owe my brother too much, his sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Minato assumed Hiashi didn't know that he knew the truth behind Hizashi's death, and he did nothing to dissuade. "But how will your clan feel if I take custody of Neji?"

"What do you think? The Yondaime himself taking custody of his godchild, the Hyuga prodigy? Even the dissenters would be in awe of such an act."

Minato silently contemplated the idea. Coming to a conclusion, he nodded. "At least not for a month, but afterwards, yes. I still must spend time with my son, time that I have lost, and grow strong for Konoha. Perhaps, after the Genin Exams, I should take custody of him?"

Hiashi, thinking about the proposed solution, eventually nodded. "I agree with that. I will make sure to protect him until then." He held his hand out.

Minato nodded. "Thank you, Hiashi-san." Minato shook his hand.

And now the man who had lost eleven years had gained two sons.

…..

My newest chapter, further explaining Minato's attitude towards Kakashi, setting up major plot points for the future, and setting up the standard NaruHina affair. I wasn't sure to add it, but once I thought about Neji being Minato's godson, it was cemented. The big reveal to Konoha is next chapter, so there is that to look forward too. So, please review and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

So here is the sixth chapter of this story, one that I hope you like. I added an element that many of you might not like, but it will be a major plot point later on. So, are you ready for Minato's big reveal to Konoha?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

…..

"I can't believe how much stronger you have gotten in the last few days, Dad. You can almost do as many push-ups as I can!" Naruto was trying to catch his breath after his and his father's latest round of exercises. It was only a week ago Minato woke up from his coma, but now his father was growing stronger all the time.

Minato gave a smile, and rustled his son's head. "Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn't all me."

Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?" It was obvious to Naruto that it was his father doing the push-ups, so what did he mean by that?

Jiraiya stood up from his seat, having been supervising the workout for Minato's sake. "He was using his chakra to reinforce his muscles, allowing him to last longer with each of his exercises. It is an advanced technique, one that is not commonly used in the field unless it is an emergency. However, I never thought to use it for muscle training, but it obviously a good idea. No matter how your muscles are being fueled to exercise, they build up when they are."

Minato nodded. "I thought of it a few days ago, when I wanted to get used to using my chakra again. Most jutsu would be to dangerous, but something like this is pretty much risk-free."

Naruto was intrigued by this. "Could I maybe try this, dad? It sounds really cool!"

Both Minato and Jiraiya shook their heads. Minato explained. "It is a difficult task to learn in the first place, and you have no need to do so. I'm only using it to bring me back into shape, since it is such an exhaustive technique long term."

Naruto frowned. "That sucks. Well, what are we gonna do next?"

Minato turned to Jiraiya. "I think my chakra stores are exercised enough for me to attempt a few basic jutsu's. But I want you around, in case something happens. Alright, sensei?" Jiraiya nodded, so Minato turned to Naruto. "You don't mind, do you Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "Of course not! It would be cool to see you do some jutsu's! Are you going to summon frogs? Or maybe use the Rasengan? Or even the Hiraishin no Jutsu!"

Minato shook his head, but paused. "Well, at least not the first two. It actually shouldn't be too hard for me to do the Hiraishin no Jutsu, it doesn't use much chakra. But I meant the basic three. You know, Henge, Kawimiri, and Bunshin." Naruto understood, so he gave his father some space to cast his jutsu's."

Minato took a breath as he made the hand sign for his first jutsu, concentrating on a certain form. "Henge no Jutsu!" A puff of smoke popped up, and a version of Jiraiya suddenly appeared. Except that his nose was much bigger than normal, and a little bit squashed. Minato looked at himself and frowned, releasing the jutsu.

He looked up to his sensei. "It looks like my control is still shot. Mhmm, where is a piece of paper?" He asked aloud, looking towards his sensei.

Jiraiya grabbed his notebook, and flipped it midway through. He grabbed his pen, and handed it out. "Here's some paper and a pencil, but I don't get why you need it."

Wordlessly, Minato took the notebook from his sensei's hand and ripped out a piece of paper. He proceeded to give it back to his sensei. Then, ripping a piece off of the paper, he put it onto his forehead, He leaned backed slightly, but Naruto was sure that the paper should have still fallen off.

"How the heck is that sticking to your head?" Naruto asked. Minato was surprised, causing the paper to fall off. He caught it before it hit the ground, as he turned to his son.

"Are you saying your academy sensei never had you use Leaf Concentration practice?" Minato had heard many stories about the Academy already from his son, and was actually disappointed in how much easier it had become. But he thought for sure that would have still been taught.

Naruto took a second to think, until a lightbulb popped up over his head. "Oh, I think that was the thing Iruka-sensei wanted me and the guys to do a few times, but we all ended up…um…we all had to leave before we could do it." He remembered his dad didn't like that he skipped classes and whatnot, so he didn't want to make him more angry.

Minato sighed, knowing what Naruto had been hinting at, but he let it pass. He quickly ripped another portion of the paper off and handed it to Naruto. "Do you remember what your sensei told you to do for the practice?"

Naruto took another moment to think and hesitantly nodded. "yeah, he said we had to use our chakra to keep the leaf to our forehead, and if we didn't concentrate on it, the leaf would fall off."

Minato sighed. "It's good to know you at least listened. Well, do that, but only with this paper. Do you understand?"

Naruto let out a small frown. "But why do I need to do that?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and answered. "It helps with chakra control, something that I have heard you were miserable at. So put the paper on your forehead and concentrate, like your dad."

Naruto looked over to his father, and watched as his father kept the paper stuck to his forehead, it being clear he was concentrating on getting the task done. Naruto decided to follow suit as he put the paper on his head, throwing himself into the task at hand.

…

After a long day of re-establishing his chakra control and re-familiarizing himself with his basic jutsu's, Minato Namikaze sat alone in his master bedroom, staring at an old picture. He never noticed Jiraiya standing in the doorway, until he cleared his throat.

"Minato."

Minato realized his sensei was there, and let the picture drop to his lap. He looked up at his sensei. "Yeah, sensei?"

Jiraiya casually walked into the room, his face focused on the picture in his lap. "Sarutobi-sensei spoke with the jonin council today. They have been made aware of your survival and Naruto's heritage."

He knew his sensei was focused on the picture he was holding, so he casually covered it with one hand. "I'm surprised it took him so long. What did they think?"

Jiraiya let out a chuckle. "Well, there were quite a few who were pissed that they were left out of the loop. Most are happy that you are back, and are wondering you are going to become Hokage again-"

"No."

"What?" Jiraiya was surprised by his student's bluntness.

"I'm not going to take up that hat again, unless I absolutely have to. I don't regret anything I did last time, but my son was left alone for eleven years. I don't want that to happen again. I actually want to be there for him and help him become Hokage someday. I can't do that if I'm stuck in a office all day."

"What about being a day to day shinobi? You retiring from that, too?" Jiraiya accidentally made it sound accusatory, even though it was an innocent.

Minato misunderstood. "Of course not, but what if I did? I should be able to retire if I want to, the clan heads have pretty much retired, why can't I!"

Jiraiya backed off. "I didn't mean it like that, kid, I just was asking. Though I'm not surprised you want to stay in the forces. I never thought of you as the kind to sit around all day. That was probably your least favorite part of being the Hokage, wasn't it?"

Minato calmed down, knowing he didn't mean to offend him. "Yeah, definitely. I just wanted to be out there, doing missions for the good of the village."

There was a silence between them, before Jiraiya told him, "Your son will probably be treated like royalty when the village finds out, by the way, if I can predict by how most of the jonin council looked after sensei told them."

Minato at first smiled, and then frowned. "I just hope that doesn't go to his head too much."

Jiraiya smiled, and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "I don't think you have to worry about that, as long as you are around to ground him."

Minato nodded solemnly. He looked down at the picture in his lap, something Jiraiya noticed. Jiraiya made a slow grab for the picture, but Minato stopped him from taking it.

"Oh, is it something private? Something steamy from Kushina?" Jiraiya gave a lecherous grin at the thought.

Minato shook his head. "No its…its just an old photo." He looked at it for a moment, before handing it over to his sensei. Jiraiya looked over the old photo, recognizing this was picture of when Minato was a chunin, about 15, after he had saved Kushina. He stood in the middle of the portrait, his arms around the waist of two women that were most important in his life. On his right stood Kushina, her long red hair almost obscuring half of his body with her head resting on his shoulder. She wore a dark green dress with a white shirt on, something that Jiraiya looked good on her. On his left was his mother, someone Jiraiya hadn't thought of in fifteen years. Besides her hairstyle, a short shoulder height bob cut, Minato was almost a spitting image of him. She was in her late thirties, but looked older. Remembering how sick she was, Jiraiya frowned. If Minato was 15, then that would be around the time-

"That was my last photo with my mom." Jiraiya looked up to his student, a few tears in his eyes. "You remember how sick she was, but she was so happy when I let Kushina meet her. I remember her telling me that we were destined to get married and make beautiful babies. We were so embarrassed she said that, but it is so true in the end. I just wish, she was around for our wedding and for Naruto's birth. I think it's kind of funny, how it turned out. I had no dad, and Naruto will have no mom. I just hope I can be as good a parent to him as my mom was to me."

Jiraiya gave him back the photo and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid, you will be a great parent. You are a great parent already, I can tell in his eyes that he is so happy you are here and how much he wants to spend time with you."

Minato took a look at his photo, and then to his sensei. "You think so, sensei?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Of course. Now, I'm not going to be in until late, and I may be bring some company. Do you mind?" The innocent tone that he used told Minato what he meant.

He let out a huge sigh. "I'm not having my son wake up to find his godfather half-naked with a couple other naked girls. It was bad enough that it happened to me. Twice."

Jiraiya faked huff. "Fine then, I'll rent a hotel. Can I borrow some money?"

Minato shot a look as if to say _Are you serious?_ Getting the message, Jiraiya threw his hands up as he left the room. Minato let out a great sigh again, letting his gaze fall onto the photo. He wasn't honestly sure if he could be half the parent his mother was to him, but he knew beyond a fact he would be better than his father ever was to him. Then again, all he had to do was talk to his son before he became a jonin.

Minato wasn't sure why he ended up being angry at all the one-eyed men he met, he really wasn't.

…

The next afternoon, the streets around the Hokage's tower were filled to the brim with Konoha citizens and shinobi, all there by order of the Sandaime Hokage. Everyone had been instructed to come, so almost all did. The only reason for such an announcement was that it was a very important one. They even ignored the presence of the village pariah Naruto Uzumaki, standing in the middle. A cloaked figure stood near him, someone that attracted the curiosity of a few of the surrounding people but no one made a comment towards him. The streets filled as two p.m. drew near, whispers all around of what they could possibly be announced. Many people feared that the Hokage was announcing a war, even though they all knew that he was a more pacifist leader. Others wondered that he was announcing his retirement, as the man was into his late sixties and had already retired once. The question among those groups then became, 'Who would become the next Hokage?'

Naruto was on edge, however. He knew what was going on, and couldn't wait for the big reveal. He and his father had been training all day to make sure their plan went as expected, one that he thought was awesome. As he looked around at all the people, he ignored the few that gave him stares and wanted to see if he knew anybody. He saw Kiba a few 'rows' up and a dozen or so feet to his right, so he gave him a wave. Kiba nodded back, and Akamaru, on his shoulder, gave him a greeting bark back. Naruto kept looking, and but couldn't see over most of the rest of the villagers. So instead, he let his gaze focus onto the cloaked figure next to him and he couldn't help but smirk. He couldn't wait for the cloak to come off.

Kakashi, for once, was not late and was in fact on a rooftop, waiting for the news. He was curious about how people would react, and how his sensei would treat all of them. He hoped, in a shallow sense, that he would give them the same level of dismissal as he had gotten. He had asked the Sandaime to act as a liason between the two, but nothing had come from those efforts, leading him to think the Sandaime had taken his sensei's side. His mind in a contemplative move, he didn't notice her until she had her fingers on the mask. He slapped her away before she could pull it down, and looked at the trench-coat kunoichi.

"Oh, hello Anko-san."

Anko gave him a smirk back. "Hey there, Scarecrow. I'm surprised you aren't up in the tower right now."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, according to most rumors, you are being announced as the Godaime today. But since you are sitting here, I'm guessing it isn't as anything as fantastic as that."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, it is definitely fantastic, but it isn't that."

"You know!" Anko grabbed both sides of his vest. "How do you know? What is this announcement about?

Kakashi turned his eye to the Hokage tower. He pointed towards it as he told the energetic snake lady of Konoha, "Why don't you listen for yourself?" Anko turned her head, to see the Hokage step into view onto his balcony.

"Citizens of Konohagakure, I have gathered you here to make a grand announcement to the future of Konoha. However, it first be mentioned that this announcement comes with a confession. Over 11 years ago, I told you that Minato Namikaze, our illustrious Yondaime Hokage, gave his life to defeat the Kyuubi. This was a lie."

Words spread quickly, and many eyes went towards Naruto, as they made the connection that he was involved with his actual death. However, people were surprised by the Hokage's next statement.

"Instead, he went into a deep coma that I feared he would never wake up from. However, one week ago, he woke up from this coma, and has spent the last week recovering from his time in the coma."

Soon, Naruto was forgotten. Many people asked where he was now, while others, the bolder ones, claimed the Hokage was lying and that their was no way the Yondaime could still be alive.

"If you wish to see proof of the Yondaime's survival, I will give it to you." From his sleeve, he pulled a kunai that everyone immediately knew, the famous three pronged kunai that the Yondaime used for his Hiraishin no Jutsu. At that moment, the cloaked figure next to Naruto dropped his cloak, revealing all to those who noticed that it was Minato Namikaze. Then, he grabbed Naruto by the waist as he prepared to make the leap. He focused his chakra to the special seal tattoo he had made to activate his jutsu of legend and knew when the Sandaime dropped his kunai. Then, in the yellow flash that gave him his name, he teleported himself and his son to the balcony.

The collective gasp of everyone in the crowd was deafening. Turning to the crowd, Minato bellowed to the crowd. "Hello, citizens of Konoha. It is good to see that my sacrifice was not all for naught. It is good to see the health of the village that I love, and of the health of my son Naruto." He patted Naruto on the shoulder to show whom he meant, as if the name Naruto was not rare enough.

Naruto did not know the atmosphere could actually contain that much dread. His father continued. " I am sorry that I have not been here for the last eleven years, but I promise to do all that I will for Konoha in the future. May Konoha prosper!" He ended his mini-speech, not wanting to go into a long speech on his first appearance, with total silence. No one knew if they should cheer or, in Minato's mind, crap their pants. A ghost, more or less, came back and greeted them all and revealed that Naruto was his son. They were still stunned. Minato led his son off the balcony, as Minato wanted to relax. There would be a lot of more individual conversations in the future with the citizens of Konoha, but now he wanted to enjoy the rest of the day with his son.


	7. Chapter 7

So, here is the seventh chapter of my story. I hope you all like it, but I don't care too much if you hate something. For anybody who wants an idea for a story, I have a challenge posted on my author profile. PM me if you are interested.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

…..

Minato Namikaze is not a man to be angered easily. And even if you did anger him, he was not one to yell. To raise his voice, like he did with Kakashi, yes. But to yell? He only yelled once in his life, at a man who did the unforgivable in his eyes. So how did he express his anger at people?

"So, Naruto, what do you think about this store for my new clothes?" Minato walked openly in town with his son by his side. They were currently shopping, updating wardrobes and the like. The owner of said store was looking out the front of his little shop, on edge.

Naruto shook his head. "No, this place is way too expensive! This place charges like 200 yen for a white shirt!" This comment was heard by all the spectators and the shopkeeper winced. His past policies, before he knew, were coming to bite him in the ass.

Minato shot a glare at the store clerk. "You're right, son. Any place that would charge almost triple for a normal shirt is someplace where the owner should be ashamed of themselves." Though Naruto didn't understand the subtext behind it, the owner saw it for what it was. The most polite and subtle "f**k you" he had ever received. He wasn't the only person to have gotten this response from the Yondaime. He wasn't the only one that would be getting a sharp drop of business either.

Minato didn't spare another glance at the store as he took his son to the next place of judgment. It wasn't really fair to use his son like this, as the barometer of a person's sins, but that is what they earned by his poor treatment of them. He walked to the next clothing store, pointing to it as they came close. "What about there, Naruto? Do you know if it has good clothes?"

Naruto blushed. "Um dad, that's a store for girls." Minato's eyes went wide as he came closer to the store. It was obvious just by looking in it was just that, a store for women.

Minato let out a cough. "Um, well, I didn't realize that…I thought… who's up for Ichikaru's?"

Naruto jumped up excitedly. "Seriously? I would love some!"

Minato grinned. "Alrighty then. I haven't seen Teuchi since I woke up. I wonder how he is doing?" It was true. It was only two days ago that the revelation had come to the general population, and he hadn't gotten to eat at Kushina's and his son's favorite restaurant. The first day had come to cheers of the general population, but they soon realized that he wasn't happy. Oh, he smiled, and acknowledged everyone, but they could tell, Minato made it obvious, that he wasn't happy. Comments to a few shinobi who made Naruto flinch just by seeing them (they were the ones who called him the worst names) made sure to everyone this was the case. The ones who hurt his son would not go unpunished. However, Minato knew he wouldn't have to do at Ichikaru's. In fact, by how much his son praised them, he probably needed to thank them in a big way. Minato found himself in front of the ramen stand, Naruto having already jumped into an open seat. He heard him loudly order for a bowl of pork miso as he went under the flap. Teuchi looked up, saw him, and then bowed deeply. "Yo-yondaime-sama. What an honor to have you eat at our establishment."

Minato waved him off. "Teuchi-san, I ate here the day you opened. Do you remember that?" Minato began to tap his chin. "If I remember right, I actually came in here to do some Kushina watching, and you had me order. I ended up getting two bowls of shrimp ramen."

"Kushina watching? You watched my mom?"

Minato let out a bit of a nervous chuckle. "Did I say that out loud? It is just that…I liked her back then but I wasn't sure how to approach her yet, it is quite common actually. People who like other people tend to "watch" them, especially if they are shy."

Naruto's eyes went wide in understanding. "Really? So if I like a girl, I should watch her?"

Minato sighed. "No, I mean that, some people who are more shy will do that. I don't think you will have any problems with that."

Naruto nodded to that. He had been thinking about asking out Sakura before all of this happened, he wasn't afraid of getting rejected. However, he also had seen Hinata was actually really cute and nice, so now he wasn't hundred percent sure if he wanted to ask out Sakura. "Yeah, I probably won't dad."

Minato order his bowl of shrimp and caught up with Teuchi and Ayame, only a little girl when he had last seen her. It took a bit longer than normal as the stools surrounding the Yondaime were filled and orders made. Despite his hostility to those who treated his son poorly, he still had fans and the such. In fact, Naruto recognized one of the people next to him. "Mizuki-sensei! I didn't know you liked ramen!"

The white haired man gave a nervous grin at the boy. "Ahh, yes, well, I felt a little peckish for it."

Minato studied the sensei of his son carefully. "Mizuki…I remember you. When I visited the Academy, you were the one to swear to become the strongest ninja ever. I never thought of you as an academy sensei, though."

The man shrugged as he took a sip from his glass of water. "Well, things changed." It was obvious he was nervous, but Naruto thought highly of him. Minato figured he was one of the silent haters, those who hated but never said anything about it. He would keep an eye on him for sure.

"So, what do you teach my son in school?" Mizuki scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, um not much really. I just help Iruka-san in class, and with weapons."

Minato nodded to this. "Well, I bet you are a fine teacher in weapons."

Mizuki let himself laugh a little. "Well, thank you, Yondaime-sama." Mizuki took a long sip from his water afterwards, unsure of what to say next.

Minato took the prerogative. "I would also like to apologize. Naruto hasn't been coming to the academy for the last week and a half, and that is my fault."

Mizuki immediately shook his head. "No, no, Yondaime-sama. There is nothing wrong with that. If anything, it might be better for Naruto-san here. I mean, training with you. I mean, he probably won't ever have to come back! He can just learn from you!"

Minato frowned at the comment and shook his head. "Nonsense. I went to the academy, and I had a great education. I will of course help him grow stronger, but I see no reason to take him from such an opportunity." Mizuki simply nodded.

"O-of course, Yondaime-sama." The conversation ended there as all of their bowls of ramen were served. They each ate their bowls, and Naruto ordered a second bowl fairly quickly. The second one finished was Mizuki, who then brought attention to Ayame who took his money. He quickly said good day to both of them, and left in a hurry. Minato finished his last bit of ramen as he watched the man leave. He definitely did not trust him.

…

Naruto felt very awkward as he made his way to the Academy. Not only was he wearing a somewhat new outfit, a black t-shirt with the Uzumaki swirl proudly ordained on his back along with his normal orange pants, but he was also being watched. And it was a different type of watching. He hadn't noticed it over the last few days since he had been basking in the aura that was his father, but since he was alone, he felt it.

It was tough for Naruto to understand why they were watching at first, but as he passed by the faces on the street, realization hit him. They were in awe. It was odd for Naruto, but they were in the awe of the shock and awe. Just seeing him made those face contemplate past feelings and handle with the reflections of the truth. The once demon was actually the chosen son. Even the haters, who still did not trust Naruto and thought the Fourth Hokage overestimated his own sealing abilities, were still in awe. Naruto wasn't really sure what to think. So he just hurried to his class, wanting to see Iruka-sensei again.

He walked into the classroom, and immediately waved to Iruka at the front of the classroom. "Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Iruka looked up, and saw Naruto. He smiled to the boy, legitimately happy for him and unsure of what to think of the current situation. It wasn't everyday one of your students was suddenly revealed to be the son of Konoha's greatest hero. He wasn't the only person to look up, however. The whole class turned to look up at Naruto. Naruto immediately felt uncomfortable. Nervously, he waved to everyone. "Um, hi." The guys seemed to be studying him, but the girls seemed to be judging him. There were nine girls in the class, and Naruto wasn't sure what they were thinking. Except for Hinata, since she didn't really judge people. She had visited again the day after his father revealed himself, after they got back from shopping, and they hanged out for a couple of hours, even being used as an impromptu taijutsu partner as his father tried to correct the forms Naruto blindly used. Suddenly, three girls, including Ino, moved there way towards him. Naruto really wasn't sure what to do. Ino was the first to reach him.

"Why don't you sit next to me, Naruto-kun?" She asked sweetly. The other girls asked the same thing as they led him down to near where they were. He didn't like where this was going. They looked at him like how they looked at Sasuke. He didn't trust this, but wasn't sure how to stop it. His words weren't exactly helping.

"You don't, I mean, I just want to sit, could you stop pulling me?"

Ino just looked back at him and pouted. The pout was compounded by the two girls beside. "We just want you to sit next to us, Naruto-kun." Naruto really wasn't sure how to defend himself. Kiba was laughing at how Naruto was suddenly being treated, Hinata was terrified at the concept of Naruto getting fangirls who would be all over him and not looking in other quieter directions,. Sakura was confused that Ino was suddenly a Naruto fangirl. Ok, yeah, it turns out he had a super famous dad but he was still dumb and bright (colorwise) and loud. Sasuke-kun was sooo much cooler, in her mind. Iruka pitied his favorite student at the moment, as it appeared the horror of fangirldom, a topic he had actually discussed with Sasuke once, had befell him. Sasuke pitied him. Due to his heritage, Sasuke decided to give Naruto a break. He wasn't some clanless idiot, he was the Hokage's son of a idiot who would be learning from the best from now on. He might turn into a challenge, he had thought amongst himself. And right now he was in the evil clutches of fangirls, a miserable fate indeed. Sasuke thought about helping, but shook his head. He would challenge Naruto to a spar later though, see if his time with his father improved him. He buried any other feelings besides the business like approach to this scenario, such as jealous and a feeling that the world was unjust.

Naruto ended up in a triangle of girl. Ino was on his right (to prevent escape), and the girls on his left and behind him.

"You know, Naruto-kun, I never knew how cute you were." Naruto rolled his eyes what the heck was with Ino.

"I didn't realize how sexy whiskers could be." "I like your messy hair." Naruto was not used to this sort of positive female attention, so he did something he never thought he would ever do. He focused on Iruka as he began class, trying to ignore the eyes and smiles of his sudden fans. Iruka was surprised at the attention he was getting from the blonde, but he would take it. He just hoped his fans wouldn't forget about their own education.

Sasuke looked approvingly from next to the girl behind Naruto. He was learning quickly.

…

Minato calmed himself down, as he had the rubber ball in his hand. After 11 years, he had to reteach his body to do the Rasengan. The first had taken only minutes, it wasn't that hard once you knew what to do. This step though, this took him over a year to finish when he built it the first time. He began with the same power levels that popped the balloon, and let his power grow. The ball began to deform, but Minato couldn't hold out, forcing the chakra in his hand to build down. He looked down at the ball, frowning. Jiraiya just patted his on the back. "Come on, kid. You have only been working at it for two hours. It took me two months to do, and I knew how you did it, too."

Minato only nodded. "Hai, sensei. That is true." He let out a breathe. "I think I'm gonna take a break for a second with this." He paused for a moment, and turned to his sensei. "Will I have to resign the Toad scroll, or am I still an eligible summoner."

Jiraiya let out a small smile. "Don't worry, you are still on there. To be honest, I used to watch it all the time. That way, if your name faded…" Jiraiya drifted off.

Minato understood. "Maybe I should try to summon one of them? Give them the news that I'm back? I bet Gamabunta-sama would be happy to hear that."

Jiraiya nodded. "He has asked me for updates in the past, though not any recently. Boy will he be surprised."

Minato nodded as he bit his thumb. "Let's see what happens." He made the hand signs, and struck the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A puff of smoke popped up, and a red toad appeared. He had pointy purple markings, and a pair of goggles around his neck. "Kosuke here!" He saluted immediately, happy he was going to be getting his first messaging job from the legendary Toad Sage. He looked up and saw the Toad Sage, as described by his instructors at Mt. Myoboku, but noticed someone else, the one who actually had blood on his hand.

Minato nodded. "Hello there, Kosuke. My name is Minato Namikaze."

Kosuke immediately dropped his toad jaw. The great Minato, the one the boss let ride him in a fight against a Kyuubi, was in front of him. Everyone knew the story, and many had assumed the man had died. But here he was. He began to bow.

"Minato-sama, what an honor."

Minato modestly shook his head. "It's alright, Kosuke. I see you are wearing a pair of goggles. Does that mean you are a part of the messenger toads?"

The eager young toad nodded. "H-hai!"

Minato just smiled. "Good, I need a messenger. Can you give Gamabunta-sama a message for me?" The toad nodded.

Though Minato could not possibly know this, in Iwa, a rare earthquake hit, one powerful enough for the ground to visibly shake. In Kumo, the Raikage A had a cold chill run down his spine as he dropped a saucer of sake, the glass breaking on the table. And in a little cave in Amegakure, a man masked in orange paused for a second, for no good reason.

"Tell him Minato Namikaze is back."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

…..

The punch was wild over Sasuke's head, leaving the ribs to be seemingly exposed. However, as Sasuke went to take advantage and finish the spar with a body blow, his fist was blocked by Naruto's right arm, just above the elbow, having been pendulumed to protect the opening exposed as the right missed. Then, with the rest of his right arm, he knocked away the arm. With his left, Naruto tried to take the opening but was stopped by his hand being caught by Sasuke's right. He tried to pull away, but Sasuke's grip was firm, so Naruto tried to boot him into the midsection. However, he was caught by Sasuke's left hand. Then, in an impressive bout of strength, Sasuke suplexed Naruto as best as he could from that position, leaving Naruto temporarily breathless. In that moment, Sasuke rolled through onto Naruto chest, and put a hand around Naruto's neck. He ignored the gasps from the fangirl spectators, like he normally did. How they found about his challenge to Naruto was beyond him, but they were there and they had cheered for sides. And the side for Naruto was in despair.

"I win." Naruto tried to claw his way out of the choke, but Sasuke kept firm until Naruto gave up. He let up the pressure before he accidentally killed him or something like that. Naruto immediately began to message his neck.

"I can't believe you beat me again! What is that, the fourth time in the last three weeks?" He looked up to Sasuke, who was offering a hand. No longer surprised by this kind gesture coming from him, he took it, standing up.

Sasuke simply nodded. "Yes it is." He took a look to the left and let out a sigh. "Rampaging fangirls, left." Then, without another word, Sasuke was running as fast as he could. As soon as those words were processed by Naruto, he was off to the races too. Naruto had learned about the evils that was fangirls from hanging out with Sasuke a surprising amount. His father had told him his mother and Sasuke's mom wanted them to be friends, but he didn't expect it would come so easily. But they were able to bond over the evils of fangirls, fangirls who tried to kiss you and always bothered you. Naruto regretted ever wishing he had some, as the seven he had at the moment, both civilians and academy students around his age, pestered him in everyday life. None did more so than Ino Yamanaka. And the fact she had turned fangirl so quickly made him more cautious. She said it was because he hadn't been well-liked by her mother and thus never an option, but Naruto didn't buy it. So. right behind Sasuke, he ran. They were quickly out of the training grounds and huffing their way through the streets of Konoha. The civilian fangirls had dropped out of the race, but still nearly a dozen remained. Sasuke and Naruto could clearly hear two of them.

"Naruto-kun, I just want to give you a massage! Your neck must be sore!"

"Sasuke-kun, I only want to give you a congratulatory kiss! "

Naruto and Sasuke were now focused on evading them, and Naruto had a plan. He saw the tall building with the alley next to it coming up in front of them and decided to put his plan into action.

"Oi, Sasuke, turn into this alley and stop." Naruto commanded the Uchiha. Deciding that Naruto must have a plan to escape, the one thing Sasuke admitted he could do better than him, he followed his advice.

The band of fangirls were quick to turn into the alley and run full force down it, certain that their idols had turned down this corridor. They rushed to the other opening of the alley, hoping for a glance of where they had gone. Sakura heard a noise behind them suddenly, and turned to see an amazing site. Naruto was piggybacking Sasuke as he back flipped off of the wall of the building they were next to, coolly landing on his feet.

"Sasuke-kun!" The band of fangirls immediately turned their heads and rushed at the duo, now leaving the alley.

"Dobe, you jumped down to early! If you had waited ten more seconds…" Sasuke began to yell at him.

"I couldn't hold it ten more seconds! My dad only showed me that last week, and I had to hold up a certain fat someone." Naruto insulted him back.

Sasuke shot a glare and suddenly shoved Naruto into a nearby trashcan. "Whatever. Stop following me anyway, you are making it to easy for them to track us." Naruto barely heard the end of Sasuke's statement as he ran away. Naruto quickly brushed himself off and made a quick map of where he was, and where he could hide. He quickly realized he was a block away from the Hyuga compound, and that Hinata would probably hide him. She was the only girl who wasn't fangirly and was pretty cool in general. So, as the horde descended, he quickly bolted for the Hyuga front gate.

He was in a dead run, Ino and the trio of his fangirls still chasing him were on his heels as he went for the compound, the guard in sight. Naruto could notice the guard roll his eyes at the sight as he barreled towards them. He then realized 5 people were barreling towards his post, and made a move to stop them. It was unneeded, however, as Naruto was quickly grabbed by the shirt by his father, who appeared out of nowhere. Ino and the band of fangirls made an immediate stop.

Minato looked on the four girls, and wished he had a squirt bottle and a rolled up newspaper at the moment, so he could train the girls to stop harassing his son. Instead, he let out a mighty sigh. "If my son is running from you, you should take the hint." He was pleased to see they at least looked embarrassed.

"Um, sorry Namikaze-sama. Uh well, look at my wrist, we have to go!" The four girls scattered, not wanting to face off against the legendary shinobi. Said shinobi looked on and shook his head, before turning his attention to his son. His son was wearing a grateful face.

"Thanks, dad. I thought they would never stop chasing me." Naruto told him.

Minato just closed his eyes. "Did you forget about what we were doing today?"

Naruto was confused. "What?"

Minato let out a sigh. "I told you, at breakfast? To come home immediately so we can prepare to see the Hyuga clan."

Naruto pondered for a moment, before his eyes went wide. "That was today! Sorry, um, Sasuke challenged me to a spar, and he has beaten me the last three times so I needed to beat him this time. I didn't, but I will next time!"

Minato had a bewildered look at his son logic processes, and simply blamed Kushina. He released him from his grasp, while telling him to brush off his clothes. They were then escorted to the Hyuga clan home. Naruto looked around in wonder of the awesome home Hinata lived in when a question came to him. "Why are we here, dad?"

Minato let out a sigh, and looked towards the guard. "Could you give me a minute?"

The guards eyes went wide in surprise of the request, but simply nodded, giving the former Hokage room. Minato then checked around, making sure the coast was relatively clear. Though this wouldn't need to be kept secret for long, he didn't want Neji finding out prematurely.

"Naruto, there is something I haven't told you about. I was … worried."

Naruto looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I put off telling you this… because I wasn't sure if you would like the news. You probably will, but I had my fears."

"What about though?" Naruto was getting edgy, wondering why his father was being so secretive.

Minato took a breath before telling Naruto. "You see, Hiashi-sama's nephew, Neji, is in actuality my godson. He wants me to take in Neji, as per my duty as godfather."

Naruto took a second to react, but he gave a smile. "Why would I be mad at that? This means I'm getting a brother, right?" Naruto actually sounded excited at the concept.

Minato let out a sigh of relief, along with the breath he was still holding. He feared his son would backlash a sudden addition to the family, that he would want to monopolize his limited time with his father, but of course his son would think like this. He should have realized how much Naruto wanted family, and a brother would fit that nicely. He nodded. "It's good to hear you are so excited. I was going to tell you this when you came home today, however…"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Ha ha, sorry about that, but this is so cool! I'm gonna get a brother. What did you say his name was, Neji?" Naruto stopped, and puckered his lips. "Wait, Neji Hyuga? I remember him! He is graduating next week from the academy, I had a class with him when I wanted to. He seems like he has a pole stuck in his butt."

Minato simply rolled his eyes, even though it was somewhat true. He had already met Neji once, in the middle of the street, and had gotten the same vibe. He was certain his father's early sacrifice led to this behavior. "Do not speak ill of your godbrother like that. Now, please restrain yourself while we are here, as we are informing Neji of this. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded to his father's request. "Couldn't I just hang out with Hinata-chan or something?"

Minato shook his head. "No, Hiashi-sama requested you be here as well for the meeting, so Neji meets his new family members all at once."

"But I've already met him…" Naruto questioned back, but Minato simply led him into the Hyuga compound, letting the guard take back his stance. It was obvious he had heard the conversation, but was considerate enough to act professionally. Minato quietly thanked him as he passed by.

Father and son soon found themselves in the modest mansion that was the Hyuga home, standing in front of a door. A call from behind it beckoned them in, as they saw it was the office of the Hyuga leader, who was standing behind his desk. Neji stood to the left of the leader. Both bowed in sync.

"Namikaze-sama. Naruto-sama." Both said in near sync. "It is a pleasure to have you here today." Hiashi told the blonde duo.

Minato politely bowed back. "It is an honor to be invited, Hiashi-sama. It is good to see you, Neji."

Naruto looked slightly startled, wondering what to do, before he bowed as well. "Umm, what my dad said." The other three in the room all groaned internally at the miscue, however nobody commented.

Hiashi simply gestured to the seats in front of the desk. "Please, take a seat." They promptly sat down, with Hiashi and Neji following them. Neji sat very formally, hands cupped in his lap, while Naruto sat in a more casual manner. Naruto glanced a few times at the boy, his new godbrother, as his father and Neji's uncle exchanged some pleasantries before going down to business. Neji also shot a few looks at Naruto, as if to get a read on the boy. However, both noticed the decisiveness of the statement from Hiashi. "I think it is time." Naruto watched his father nod, and turn to Neji.

"Neji, how much do you know about your father?" He asked nicely. Neji flinched, and shot a subtle glare to his side towards Hiashi, but answered the man.

"A few things I remember from before his… death, and things some people have told me about him." He honestly answered.

Minato nodded, signaling his understanding. "Did you know that your father and I were friends?"

Neji paused, and shook his head. "No, I did not." His face betrayed slightly his surprise.

"To tell you the truth, we were not simply friends. Outside of Kushina, I have to say your father was my best friend. It wasn't widely known, but it was true."

Neji's face completely failed him as he looked at him in shock. "Father and you were best friends?"

Minato nodded. "He was my second choice to be Naruto's godfather, behind only Jiraiya-sensei. However, your father had no hesitations in naming me your godfather."

Neji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You…are my godfather? Why didn't I know this?" He angrily turned towards Hiashi, not even hiding his accusatory look.

"Minato-sama was believed dead, so there was no rush to tell you." Hiashi admitted honestly.

"But he was been alive for a month! Why wasn't I told before now?" His anger was being focused at Hiashi, who Minato saw was being solely blamed. He stepped in calmly.

"Because, I wanted some time to get to know my son, before I did my duties as godfather."

Neji quickly turned towards Minato. "Duties as godfather?' Minato nodded. Neji almost had a hopeful look before he shook his head. "Impossible. Any Konoha citizen with the Byakugan is to be raised by the Hyuga family-"

"-Unless the Hyuga clan leader allows it. Which Hiashi-sama already has."

Neji took a moment to take everything in, before he turned to Hiashi. "Why?" It was obvious he couldn't understand Hiashi's, the villain of his life, actions.

"That is simple, Neji. There are a few in the main branch who wish to do away with you, for their fear the talent you bring to the cadet branch. To fail your father, my brother, so completely in keeping his son safe from petty jealous would be shameful."

"Your brother! You have no right to call my father your brother, not after you ordered him to die for your own cowardness!" Neji finally said the thing he had been thinking for eight years. He had spent years holding it in, but that statement broke the dam inside of him. Hiashi calmly took the claim, not saying anything in his defense.

Naruto was confused. He had been quiet so far, there had been no need for him to say anything, but now he was out of the loop. "What are you talking about?"

Neji quickly relayed to Naruto the history of the Hyuga Incident as he knew it. Naruto turned to Hiashi, ready to say something, but his father stopped him. "The past does not matter at the moment. Neji, Naruto, could you please leave the room for a moment?"

Neji agreed hesitantly, while Naruto did just as his father told him. The second Naruto shut the door behind him, Minato cast a privacy jutsu, to stop his son or Neji from trying to listen in. he then turned back to the Hyuga leader.

"Why did you not tell Neji the truth, the whole story? Hokage-sama told me that Hizashi offered himself in your place, but you let his son believe you forced him!"

Hiashi calmly reached into his desk, and pulled out a scroll. "Firstly, I doubt Neji would believe me if I told him, due to his hatred of me. That is why Hizashi wrote the scroll before his death to explain the situation. Neji would believe this, but I do not think he would properly internalize it."

"What makes you say that?" Minato asked, though he suspected he knew why.

"Neji's hatred is almost absolute, as is his belief in fate. Those two things are intertwined almost seamlessly. If one is able to break his belief in fate, then his hatred can be broken. However, if I simply gave him the scroll, he may construed it as some ploy or that it was simply his father's fate to die, no matter what he decided. I will entrust you with this scroll, but you must promise to give it to him only when he can understand. Agreed?"

Minato looked at the scroll, and back to Hiashi. He didn't like it, but Hiashi made a strong case. "I promise."

Outside of the room, Neji and Naruto awkwardly stood next to one another. Naruto couldn't stand it even for a few moments, so he tried to strike up a conversation. "So, you are taking the graduation test next week? Do you think you will pass?"

Neji looked towards Naruto, and calmly nodded. "Of course. I am Rookie of the Year."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't be too sure. I took that test last year and it was really hard. I failed pretty badly."

Neji paused, looking over the boy, going to say one thing but stopping himself. Instead, he replied. "Well, you did try to take it two years early, and you never applied yourself. It was fated you would fail."

"Fated? Yeah right, fate is for losers. You have to earn everything you do. Like me becoming Hokage. I'm gonna earn the spot of Hokage, not be fated."

Neji shrugged. "Perhaps, but it could be said it was your fate. You are the son of a Hokage, it does give you a much better chance."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, as he hated his argument. He was actually saying he might be Hokage, but that was because it was his fate. Naruto didn't know why it irked him so badly, but it did.

"It doesn't matter about that! I was gonna be Hokage, even before I knew who my dad was."

"Yes, but you were still his son, thus giving you a better chance that it is your fate to be Hokage." Naruto was getting frustrated.

"Why do you think fate is everything? I bet you didn't think it was fate you would get a godbrother!"

Neji paused and nodded. "True, but even I can be wrong about fate. It is not my fate to know everything."

Naruto was mad about this. Even when he proved him wrong, he still said it was fate. Living with this guy was going to be annoying. However, before he could reply, the door opened with his father and Hiashi saying good-byes.

Minato turned to Neji. "Neji, you will be moving in with us at our house after you graduate. That will give you enough time to pack up and say all of your good-byes. Is that alright with you?"

Neji nodded. "Hai, Namikaze-sama."

Minato immediately shook his head. "Please, you don't need to call me that. You may call me godfather, or uncle, or even Minato."

Neji paused for a second. "Ok… godfather."

Minato nodded. "That is good to hear, Neji. Have a good day."

"Good day, godfather." With that, Naruto and Neji shared an awkward good-bye and the blonde duo left the Hyuga compound, returning home.

Later that night, after listening to his son complain about Neji's obsessing over fate and a good hard training session, (he was happy to see his son was advancing in the tree-walking exercise so quickly. It took him two weeks to learn it when Jiraiya taught it to him.) , only Minato and Jiraiya were up. Both stood in the training room, with Minato in an almost meditative state.

"You do not need to worry, sensei, I know what I am doing."

Jiraiya let out a grunt. "Look gaki, I believe you, but are you ready yet? I mean, you still aren't half as good as you were back in the day."

"Maybe, but I need to get some closure before he moves in." Minato calmly responded, not looking at his sensei.

Jiraiya sighed, but nodded. "I guess you're right, but this seems really risky. How can you be cer-" He was cut off by Minato opening his eyes.

"I'm locked in. I'll be back in a hour, understand?" Jiraiya simply nodded. Then, with a small grin at the challenge he was faced, Minato began to send chakra to his Hiraishin tattoo, focusing on the faraway kunai that was his ticket for justice. Then, in a yellow flash, he was gone from the room

…..

Where is Minato? Find out next chapter! I hope you like everything, tell me what you think. I have to give a shout out to _lord of the land of fire _for inspiration for the Neji/ Naruto scene though. Expect the next scene probably right before Christmas,


	9. Chapter 9

Second Chance, chapter 9. So first off, SPOILERS. Skip to story if you aren't up to date with the manga.

So, Neji died. And NaruHina is very strong with Kishimoto right now. Both are very interesting, both of which are decisions I liked. Neji will be missed, and this story will now be in his honor (until if he is brought back somehow.)

I hope you like the new chapter, and do not get mad. Everything is actually pretty logical, and I am proud of it. Review and tell me what you think.

…..

Minato took a second to gather himself, and opened his eyes. He saw, on the wall, his three pronged kunai. The exact kunai that let him make the jump he just made. He had often wondered the limits of his kunai, if it could truly cross countries, and he had been proven right.

He had just jumped from his home to the Raikage's tower.

He couldn't sense the chakra of anyone in the room at the moment, so he took it to relax. It hadn't drained him mentally, a jump meant very little to him, but the mental stress in locating it made him a bit weary. He decided to take a seat, the seat across from the Raikage's desk, and he relaxed. He went over what he was going to say to the Raikage when he returned to the room. If he wasn't back in thirty, he was planning on tripping one of the security traps to get him back immediately. If he hadn't tripped one he didn't notice already. He was hoping it wouldn't come down to a fight, but he might be tempted to throw a punch depending on how much of a stubborn bastard Raikage A was going to be. If he was a bit apologetic, he wouldn't be angry. But if he still felt as if he was in the right, like how his father never apologized for what he tried with Kushina, he might try to assassinate the Raikage. Not a good idea, he would admit, but still, he hoped it would work.

He began to go over the room, seeing if he could find anything of note in the room. It was boringly plain, a few books that looked fairly unused, no decorative wall art. Such a bore. He almost didn't notice the door open, but heard the slight creak and immediately looked over at the person going through the door.

"My name be Kirabi, best of all da' Kumo shinobi, with students so cool, make another man drool." Kirabi rhymed to himself as he entered the room, oblivious to the man in the room. Minato was very tempted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the scene. He hadn't seen Kirabi in years, since he fought him and A and he found he was a Jinchuriki like his son was son (and technically himself). He looked much the same as he did 12 years ago, just a little older and a little wis-, a little more ma-, a bit more respons-, a little older.

"My brother be the Raikage A, what else do I have to say, we be the ones who kick some ass, come against us and you'll be under the grass." Kirabi continued his rhymes as he still didn't notice Minato in the room. He was looking out the window behind the Raikage's desk, so Minato decided to let him know of his apprentice.

"My name is Minato, where is your bro, you two might be bad, but seeing me will make your bro real mad." Minato introduced himself in the same vain as Kirabi would. Kirabi jumped as he looked around, locking his eyes on him eventually. He stared at him for a few seconds, before his eyes widened in recognition.

"So the rumors are true. The Yondaime does live." Kirabi stopped his rhymes as the serious scenario unfolded.

Minato nodded. "Yes, I am. So, Kirabi-san, where is your brother, the Raikage?"

Kirabi ignored the question. "How the heck did you get in here? This tower is super hard to get into."

Minato pointed to behind him, at his signature kunai. "As long as the formula is in place…"

Kirabi's eyes went wide. "Damn, that is impressive."

Minato nodded. "So where is your brother?"

Kirabi let out a small sigh. "It is kind of funny, Yondaime-san, it is to talk about rumors about you and if you live. Obviously they do. So where have you been?" Kirabi was truly interested in this, as he held a great respect for the man, as Minato did for him,

"It's complicated." Minato told him simply. "So, can you get your brother? I wish to talk to him."

Kirabi nodded and left to go get him. Despite respecting him, Minato didn't trust what was about to happen. Would the Raikage attack him, send ANBU to try and capture him or what? He was locked in on the kunai at his home, just in case. Soon, two people returned, A and Kirabi.

"So, Yondaime-sama, I see you are back. What are you doing here?" A tried to act coolly, but he was still very nervous. Why had Minato come to him, why had he chosen to got to him? What injustice had he done to him? It was his father who had taken his wife back then, not him. He only was afraid, though, because the man had sought him out and could be much stronger due to some vengeance he wished to seek.

"Yes, Raikage-sama I wished to talk to you about the Hyuga incident."

The Raikage rose an eyebrow. "Why are you bringing this up now? They wrongly killed our shinobi eight years ago, why didn't you bring it up then."

"I would have, but I was still in a coma. Saving my village from the Kyuubi and all takes a lot out of a person."

The Raikage rose his eyebrow. "So that is what happened to you? Stuck in a coma? Pity for you. So, what do you want to speak about with me?"

Minato let out his breath before he spoke. "First off, you are a terrible liar, Raikage. We both know that you ordered it, just like your father ordered the capturing of Kushina-chan. Secondly, we both know what the Hyuga did, so there is no reason to hide it. They switched out Hizashi for Hiashi. That is where you messed up, A. For Hizashi was my best friend. So, do you have anything to say?" He could feel the slight amount of fear coming from A, and decided to exploit it.

He had grown more terrified at his words. Yes, all of this was true, but he was his best friend? He just had to call for the Yondaime's best friend's death. However, he decided to try and hold his ground. "Firstly, Yondaime-sama, I have no clue what you are talking about. Secondly, we have done nothing on the matter because the daimyo opposed to any further actions. Finally, I did not know you held any relationship with the man. What does it matter in this case? We all have lost people important to us. He gave his life for his murderous broth-" He stopped when Minato held his hands up, to tell him to stop.

"Finish that sentence, and you will regret it." Minato was beginning to lose his temper. "I thought you were a more honorable man than this, lying about unduly calling for a man's death."

Kirabi had been quiet so far, but he decided to interfere. "Um, brother, Yondaime man, keep calm. No need to fight here in the tower, do you want to be fools?"

A nodded. "Kirabi is right, Yondaime-sama. Let us handle this…elsewhere."

Minato, reluctantly, nodded. He had hoped it wouldn't come to blows, but with the Raikage, fighting was always a possibility. He had handily defeated him years ago, it shouldn't be too difficult after all the training he subjected himself to, right?

…

Jiraiya was getting ready to warn the Sandaime about how Minato had gone into Kumo and was now trapped there, having been already fifteen minutes late. That was until, the yellow flash suddenly appeared and a bleeding, exhausted Minato suddenly appeared.

"Minato! What happened in Kumo?" He was frantic to know why his apprentices' ass had been kicked.

Minato let out a breath. "Fought the Raikage. A lot more difficult than it used to be. Had to get the hell out of there, I was running on fumes."

Jiraiya closed his eyes. "Why did you fight the Raikage?" Jiraiya asked, and wondered what the heck was happening.

"Raikage was an ass. Wouldn't apologize. Tried to force him to apologize. Didn't work. Gave him a nice scar thought, nice gash on his arm."

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

Minato shook his head. "No, I don't want the Sandaime to know what I did. He will be pissed I went behind his back to do something to Kumo."

Jiraiya simply rolled his eyes. "Kid, you should have waited another few months until you are better off. The fact you lasted against the Raikage for so long is impressive, but I know you can do better. Seriously, I can bring you in, say we got into a mean spar."

Minato just shook his head. "No, I will heal overnight. Just take me to bed." Jiraiya hesitantly agreed, and took Minato up to his room. He cleaned him up a little, getting rid of the dried blood. He put the covers over Minato, letting him rest up after the many bruises and total exhaustion he received from the Raikage.

As Jiraiya left the room, he shook his head at the student. He really hope he didn't do something to bite Konoha in the ass. He really did.

…

Naruto was hanging out with Shikamaru and Choji a few days later, as class was not in session. Underclassmen had the day off for the Genin exams, so Naruto was enjoying it. Except for the comments of his godfather who was buzzing around.

"You say that Nara, but I have never known a Nara to marry plain. Your wife will be hot and feisty, accept it!" Jiraiya told the laziest of the trio, who only rolled his eyes.

"And be in the same situation as my dad? Too troublesome. I'd rather stay single." Shikamaru glibly told the man. He was starting to regret coming over to Naruto's.

"Your father tried that too, if I call correctly. But the girl you are destined for will force you to acknowledge her."

Naruto just let out a grunt. "Don't tell me you believe in that destiny crap to, Ero-sannin. I thought I would only have to hear that from Neji-nii-san, and not you."

Choji only shook his head. "You know Naruto, it is really weird. A month ago you were the orphan, now you have this big family. Lucky I guess for you, but weird.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Still, I wish they didn't have to be a pervert or have a pole stuck in their ass."

Choji looked around, and finally realized something. "Where is your father, anyway? What does he do all day?"

"Well, usually he trains with Ero-sannin all day. I have no clue what he is doing today, I haven't seen him much since I found out about Neji."

"He is going through a recertification program, to officially become a jonin of Konoha again. He should pass, but he is only really a high B class threat now. Give him a few months and he will an A rank shinobi, but it should be interesting the type of task sensei gives to him."

Naruto turned to Shikamaru and Choji, a question forming in his mind. "What is it like?" He asked, confusing the two for a moment about his meaning. "I mean, worrying about your dad out on a mission?"

Shikamaru looked to Choji and shrugged. "I just have to trust my dad is strong enough to do it. It would be such a drag if I worried every time he left for a mission."

Choji nodded at his friend's comment. "Yeah, I know my dad is super strong, and can be an awesome shinobi. I have to trust he will deal with whatever is thrown at him."

"Really? It just comes down to trust?" Naruto asked, surprised that it was such a simple thing. He never had to trust someone so implicitly before. It was an odd thought in retrospect.

"They are correct. Whenever my caretaker left for a mission, I had to trust they would succeed and come back. And if not, then it was their fate to pass on and for me to be alone."

Naruto clenched his eyes and let out a sigh. Opening them, he turned back to his new brother. "Sure, yeah. Fate. Whatever. Is that a headband? You passed?"

Neji nodded. His belongings had been moved in earlier that day, and he would now be residing in the home. "Yes, I have passed. I will have to wait a few days to find out who is on my team. I wonder who they will place with me."

Jiraiya was listening to him and decided to answer. "Well, where did you rank from this year?"

"I was Rookie of the Year, of course. I would be nothing less."

"Well then, they will stick you with the kid who did worst in the class, and one of the stronger females who has a different style than you do. You're a Hyuga, so that mean either a heavy hitter ninjutsu user, unlikely for a girl at your age, or a weapons expert. Know who that would be?"

Neji thought for a second, and let out a sigh. "So it sounds like I will be teamed with that fool Rock Lee and Tenten. She is acceptable, at least."

Naruto was trying to remember who they were, from his short time in their class. He remembered Rock Lee suddenly, and grew a little mad. "Hey, don't badmouth Lee! He is a pretty cool guy, and would try to help me with some of the work sometimes."

"Something he was barely competent at. And his lack of ability with ninjutsu and genjutsu leave a lot to be desired as well. He is utterly hopeless as a shinobi."

"You shouldn't be talking so ill of a possible future teammate, Neji." A voice surprised the four, as it was Minato wearing a jonin vest.

"So gaki, sensei make you a jonin again?"

Minato nodded. "Hai, I passed his requirements. Though he has special plans for me." He turned back to Neji. "You should never be so dismissive of another's talents. Just because you have a bad ranking does not mean you are "hopeless". Look at Jiraiya-sensei here. He was the dead last of his year, and he turned into a decent shinobi." The last bit was an obvious jab at the old man.

Jiraiya grumbled. "Decent? I am the Great Toad Sage! Much more than decent."

Neji studied the old man and gave a reluctant nod. "This may be true, but he was destined to have a great sensei to make him so. I doubt Lee or I will receive a future Hokage as our instructor, godfather. Now, excuse me. I would like to go to my room." With a slight bow, he left the room.

Minato humphed. Naruto was surprised by his father's actions. "Why did you do that for, otou-san?"

Minato let out a small chuckle. "Sensei, you were spot on with who will be on Neji's team. It will be Rock Lee, him, and the kunoichi known as Tenten. And he is technically correct that he won't be taught by a future Hokage." He then looked at the three boys waiting for his full answer.

"But they will be taught by a former Hokage."


	10. Chapter 10

The big chapter ten is here for Second Chance, and my surprise success just keeps on rumbling. I have to say this story sets up some of my favorite future plot devices, the main one being obvious if you think about it for a moment. I hope you all enjoy it as well! Be prepared, it is Minato and Neji-centric! Leave your comments below and remember, I do not own Naruto.

…

Minato was a little frustrated with the task that the Sandaime had set out for him to do. It wasn't that it was difficult, but it was simply one he was not interested in doing. Mainly since it involved him. He hopped his way towards the memorial stone to pick up Kakashi, as been asked of him by the Sandaime a few days beforehand. He landed roughly ten feet behind Kakashi, who didn't so much as flinch. Instead, Kakashi simply continued to stare at the stone. Minato let out a sigh before speaking.

"You know, this is a fairly unproductive way to spend ones time. You could be doing something more useful. Like heading out to pick up your genin team."

Kakashi perked up slightly at the comment, but shrugged. "I don't have a genin team. Someone took them off my hands."

Minato raised an eyebrow, and walked up next to Kakashi, deciding to look at the stone. He hadn't visited it since he left his coma, and there were quite a few people that he had to pay respects too, often overlapping with Kakashi's list. "What do you mean, someone else took them off of your hands?" He was honestly curious at the statement.

Kakashi didn't respond for a minute. Minato thought that he wasn't going too, but then Kakashi slowly explained. "I don't want…a genin team this year. I would probably fail them automatically, without giving them a chance. I don't think that, right now, I can lead a group of students. From what Hokage-sama said the other day, they are very talented, but would fail my exam anyway."

"What do you mean, they would fail?" Minato, for the first time, was getting to take a good look at the man Kakashi had become, and he was not going to waste it.

"My team consists of a Nara, a female Inuzuka, and a talented civilian with a crush on said Inuzuka. Under the conditions of the bell test, it would be instant failure. The Nara will figure out the issue, but the other two won't listen to him. The female Inuzuka will be headstrong to prove her dominance and alpha-ness, and the civilian wouldn't want to make the Inuzuka fail. The Nara, if he was a chunin, could pass it solo with their family techniques, but your standard Nara will usually only know the Kagemane Jutsu. The other two will either be too headstrong or too limited in one's abilities to acquire the bells, meaning they would fail. So, I gave them to someone who would give them a different test."

Minato was slightly impressed with the logic, but was mad at one aspect. "So why don't you change the test?"

"Why change what always works?" Kakashi quickly responded. Before Minato could ask what he meant, Kakashi explained it to him. "This test, to my knowledge, has only been completed successfully on four occasions. The first occasion created the Sandaime Hokage and the two elders of Konoha. The second occasion created the three Sannin. The third occasion created the Yondaime Hokage and two top prospective ninja who were, if I remember your story correctly, killed by the Ichibi when it got loose during your teams Chunin Exam in Suna. The fourth occasion created an ANBU captain, the best medic prospect in Konoha since Lady Tsunade herself, and the most resilient Uchiha who hadn't yet activated his Sharingan. Why change the test, when the test works."

Minato turned to study the expression on his former student's face, but couldn't really see much. With one eye covered and a mask, it was near impossible to get a read on him. Kakashi glanced towards his sensei, and saw he was observing him. Deciding it was prudent, he asked him, "So, you accepted a new set of students?"

Minato simply nodded. "It was a requirement of the Sandaime that I became a jounin sensei in the meantime of my skill redevelopment."

"So you didn't want to?" He asked, a bare hint of urgency in his voice.

"No, I did. But simply not immediately." Minato coolly answered back.

"Are you really trying to forget about me that much?" He replied, a half joking tone to his voice. "Trying to replace us?"

Minato paused, not fully sure how to reply. "No, it isn't like that. I just…I liked teaching a lot." He finished somewhat lamely.

Kakashi's eyes showed his skepticism, but Minato continued. "You three will always matter to me. I would have given my life to save Rin or Obito, and I would still give my life to save you." Kakashi's eye went wide in surprise. "What, you think I would let you die just because of some grudge?"

Kakashi didn't say anything to that surprising comment, in his mind, but simply said, "Shouldn't you be getting to the academy? I wouldn't have left for another three hours, which means it is about time now." With a small eye smile visible, the mood changed and Minato nodded.

"I suppose it is." He turned to leave his student, but stopped himself. He didn't look back, but he did tell him something. "You know, Obito would probably make fun of you for copying him, right?" With that purposefully vague statement, he made his way to the academy to pick up the new Team 9.

…

Neji Hyuga was impatiently waiting to discover who exactly his sensei for the foreseeable future. The Sannin Jiraiya had been correct in his assessment on who his future teammates would be, it was Rock Lee and Tenten. He was somewhat disappointed that he would have to carry as incompetent of a future shinobi as Lee, but it was his fate to deal with such an obstacle in his career. He had just endured a lunch with the two, and had gotten to know the two on a more personal level.

Lee was everything he had expected. He was foolish, loud, obnoxious, and abrasive. Spending half an hour for lunch was an endeavor for his senses. The possibility of years having to deal with him… Neji was hoping his fate would be to see the error of becoming a shinobi and retiring after his first difficult mission. He would never hope someone's fate was death, but he suspected it might be so for his male teammate.

His female teammate on the otherhand… she was a worthy one. She was a serious kunoichi in the utmost way. She had never fallen prey to a crush or had been removed from the focus of becoming a shinobi. She had, on her own admission, attempted to study medicine and discovered that it was not her fate to become a great medic like her idol Tsunade. However, Neji had belief that it was her fate to become a great weapon's mistress on the same level as a Tsunade.

He sat straight up in his seat as somebody entered the room for the first time. He had tall, black spiky hair with a well groomed beard complementing it. His most distinct features was a face that looked fairly familiar to him and a cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth. "Team 6, come with me." The jonin said. Neji watched as the three members of Team 6 left. He regretted that the Shuichi Nara was not his teammate, and instead it had been Rock Lee. The Nara had been close to claiming the title of dead last, but was too naturally talented to let his minimal efforts secure the position. He was, perhaps, the closest thing he had to a friend in the academy. He almost pitied him as he watched his kunoichi teammate, Kira Inuzuka leave behind him, her brown ninken in her arms. She was nearly as loud as Lee, and was obsessed with proving her alphaness. He supposed it was due to the belief of natural male superiority, a belief Neji did not believe, and her attempts to overcome it. The final member, a boy simply known as Koga, was a pity of a shinobi, since he admired the Inuzuka female, and had become the even more degrading fanboy of hers. He watched the trio leave, wondering when his sensei would arrive. He looked outside towards the window, in a moment of boredom.

He noticed the increase of whispers that began as he did that, and turned his head back to the front of the classroom to see what the ruckus was. He was shocked to see his godfather stop his walk into the classroom, and look over the class, a spare second of it lingering on him. Then, in a booming tone, he announced. "Team 9, let's move out!" His eyes widened at this revelation. His godfather would become his sensei? This new development intrigued Neji as he quietly stood up and made his way to the front. He noticed that Tenten, while in some degree of awe of her luck, was moving towards the front of the class. However Lee hadn't moved. He was just staring fiercely at his godfather, his eyes appearing to be covered in fire. Neji couldn't help but think it may be due to some medical condition. Then, Lee bursted up, screaming in that tone of his, "Yosh! What luck I have! I am honored to have such a great shinobi as the Yondaime as my jonin-sensei."

His godfather simply gave a small smile to Lee. "Thank you, Lee-san. But I would prefer for you to call me just Minato-sensei. Now hurry along." Neji was now slightly unnerved by how the fire was burning in Lee's eyes, (seriously isn't that a health hazard that they could do that?), before watching Lee bow and follow them down the steps. The trio played follow the leader to Minato-sensei as they made their way out of the building and to the front yard of the school. Stopping at the swing, his sensei sat down on it before gesturing his students to the ground. "Take a seat." The three quickly sat down as they waited for their sensei to speak.

"So, obviously you three know who I am, but let me tell you more about myself. My name is Minato Namikaze, the father of Naruto Uzumaki and guardian of Neji Hyuga-" He was interrupted, however.

"What!" Both Lee and Tenten called out in surprise. Neji had been surprised by the bluntness of his confession of their…'familial' relationship, but he hadn't reacted. Realizing they were waiting for an explanation, Neji provided it for them.

"Apparently, my father had been best friends with Minato-sensei and had thus named him my godfather. After his recovery from his coma, my uncle allowed him to become my legal guardian for reasons I care not to explain."

Tenten was surprised, but merely nodded her head in understanding. Lee, on the other hand… "Yosh! What a great story. I was so surprised to hear about this, but I am most glad to know that the bonds of my teammate and sensei are so close!"

Minato suddenly stared very intently at Lee because of his sudden outburst before asking, "Lee-san, do you happen to have a relative named Maito Gai?"

Lee paused for a moment and shook his head. "I do not, Minato-sensei. Why do you ask?"

Minato waved off the question. "Sorry, you simply reminded me of him to some extent. He was a rival for one of my pupils, you see. Maybe one day I will introduce you to him."

Lee bowed in respect. "That would be a great honor, Minato-sensei."

In response, he nodded back. "You're welcome. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Well, I am an only child and the star pupil of the Sannin Jiraiya, who you will probably meet at sometime or another. My favorite hobby is to read, though I haven't had much of a chance since my recovery began. So do not be offended if you catch me reading on a D-rank, assuming you pass."

"D-Rank? Pass? What do you mean, Minato-sensei?" Tenten asked her sensei.

"I will explain in a moment. However, may you three talk about yourselves some. Your likes, dislikes, hobbies. I do wish to get to know you better."

Lee raised his hand. "I wish to go first! My name is Rock Lee, and my likes are training, curry, and animals! I dislike those who pick on the weak! My hobby is to train! My desire is to become a great shinobi, no matter my handicaps!" Neji let out a humph, drawing Minato's attention to him.

"Why do you make such a noise, Neji-san?" Minato asked.

"It is not Lee's fate to become a great shinobi. He has little talent for any of the ninja arts, and was passed for reasons beyond me. If he ever reached beyond the ranking of genin, I would be shocked."

Lee looked down from the scathing review, and Tenten looked uneasy at the harshness of Neji's words. Minato was agitated by them, and simply shook his head. "I truly doubt, Neji-san, that you have been given the ability to read one's fate, so you should not act as if you can!" His sentence ended in a sharp tone. "Lee-san can become great, even if you say he is not talented in the ninja arts. With training, I am sure he will succeed. Now, Tenten, tell us about yourself."

Tenten was surprised at the shift of focus, but she simply nodded her head and began to speak. "Hai. Well, my name is Tenten. I don't have a last name, my mom left my father and decided to drop his name from our names. I like fortune telling, fuinjutsu, and weapons, and dislike cheaters and people who underestimate girls. My hobbies are pretty much training and dancing, I guess. It helps me with my attacks. My dream is to become as great a ninja as Tsunade."

Minato simply nodded. "Those are good goals to have, Tenten-san. Now, Neji-san, tell us a little about yourself."

Neji let out a small sigh and quickly got it over with. "I like training, herring and meditation. I dislike many things. My hobbies are personal, and my dreams unreachable."

Minato let out a sigh at his godson's conduct but simply let it go for the moment. "Alright then. Now, let me explain what I mean earlier when I said, if you pass. The truth is, you have not yet become genin."

"What do you mean, Minato-sensei!" Lee quickly called out.

"There is a secondary test with a much lower passing rate that one must take in order to become a genin. If a team fails, then they must either go back to the Academy or, if their sensei recommends it, be dropped from the program all together."

Neji was surprised he had never heard of such a thing, and was intrigued on what would the test be. "The test will commence tomorrow at daybreak. I'm going to give the time until then to prepare for it."

"How do we prepare for it?" Tenten asked, beating Lee to the punch.

"Pretend it is a survival exercise. But you will have to survive against me."

Lee's eyes widened in horror. "Survive against you! That is impossible!"

Minato nodded. "While that is technically true, surviving against me is not the goal of the exam."

"Then what exactly is the goal of this exam?" Neji asked directly, curious as to where this was going.

"You will find out tomorrow. The only hint I will give you is this, 'Look underneath the underneath.' Meet me at Training Ground 7 at 7am!" And with that bit of advice, he vanished.

The three genin. "Look underneath the underneath, huh? What do you think he meant?" Tenten looked to ask the two boys of her team, but was greeted by only Lee's face, Neji already leaving.

"Where are you going!" She called out to him.

"To prepare." Neji replied, never looking back.


	11. Chapter 11

This is chapter 11 of this story. I kind of jump a little bit from where most of you might expect me to start, but I believe there is no point in writing something you readers will perfectly know will happen. So instead, enjoy where I start and please drop a review.

A/N: My tone for Minato this chapter…Kakashi picked it up somewhere

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

…..

"I swear, when I get out of this Minato-sensei, I will shut off all of your chakra points!"

Minato would normally be slightly worried about the talented Hyuga's threat, especially since they lived with one another, but he was too busy trying to repress the smirk that was naturally forming on his face. It wasn't voluntary, but it reminded him of a funny incident involving Neji's father. Kushina had confused his Byakugan-ing the hot spring, in an attempt to find his perverted sensei, as peeping. So, much like the situation his father had been in, he was tied to a stump.

"Neji-san, that is not a nice statement at all! Minato-sensei would only have done this if he had a good reason to. Correct sensei?" Lee tried to calm Neji down.

Tenten followed Lee's lead. "Yeah, Neji, there's no reason to flip out right now."

"No reason to flip out?" Neji quickly fired back at the bunned brunette. "Of course there is a reason to, as you so put it, flip out. We have failed the test, which means we are going back to the academy, where I will be forced to endure another year of. I believe that is a sufficient reason to, as you put it, freak out."

Minato had calmed his chuckles and spoke up. "You three don't have to worry about that, actually."

"We don't?" Tenten was surprised by this fact.

"Does that mean that you will pass us because of how impressive we were sensei?" Lee asked in excited manner.

Minato shrugged. "Actually, you guys performed so impressively poor out there that none of you are going back to the academy. I am going to make the recommendation that you be dropped from the program altogether."

All three kids went wide. "Say what?" All three said, Neji angerly, Tenten confused, and Rock Lee dejectedly.

"Your performances were so terrible, that you shouldn't even become shinobi's. Let alone you ignored the one piece of advice I gave you yesterday."

"I did not ignore it sensei!" Lee quickly yelled out in protest. "I made sure to look underneath the underneath, and was always making sure that you were not leading me into a trap or were actually some sort of clone or anything like that!"

Minato sighed. "True, Lee-san, you did do that, but that was not what I meant by it. I was referring to the rules I set up at the beginning of the test."

"What do you mean those rules godfather?" Neji abandoned all sense of decorum at the threat of his future livelihood at stake. "They were quite clear. Those who got a bell passed, those who didn't would be sent back to the Academy. Only 2 could succeed. What could be any clearer?"

"Ah, but those rules should have made you suspicious in the first place. Why would I be able to take on one or two pupils, but they assigned me a team of 3? Why would I assign a test that these pupils would foolishly attack me one-on-one, challenging a jonin freshly out of the academy? The thought you could possibly do it by yourself is ludicrous! I was probably more talented than you were Neji-san, when I took this test with Jiraiya-sensei, and he beat me down as well on my first attempt at the bells. So, tell me, what was the purpose of this exam?"

Minato left the question hanging out there, a key factor if he would pass them. Even if it was his godson, he would still fail him here if his team did not get this answer correctly. He heard a noise coming from Tenten, and turned his attentions to her. "You were saying something, Tenten-san?"

Tenten looked petrified, praying she wasn't wrong, before she took a gulp. "Could it be…could it be we were supposed to work…as a team?"

Minato internally let out a sigh of relief as he nodded. "Yes Tenten-san, you are exactly correct. This test is supposed to teach you teamwork, and seeing if three students can comprehend this concept. You may think power or flashy techniques are keys to succeeding, but you are wrong. It is your team that is most important." He paused for a moment, reflective, before he decided to tell them the story. "Do you ever wonder why you never heard of my teammates? Why there are no stories about them? You think there would be, considering the legend surrounding me."

Lee was the first to answer. "No, sensei, I have not thought of that, but I am assuming that they perished."

Minato nodded. "Yes, they did. They died over twenty years ago, when we attempted the Chunin Exams in Suna when I was 13." He paused his story when he heard a mumble from Neji. "What did you say, Neji-san? Speak up."

Neji looked up at the man and repeated what he said. "They must have been weak, and fated to die." He defiantly decreed.

Minato smirked and shook his head. "Perhaps you are right this time Neji-san, perhaps they were fated to die, but they were anything but weak." Minato took a deep breath as he prepared to tell the story.

"There names were Hinata Sozuki and Koba Riichi. Hinata as a total tomboy, an expert on fire jutsus and was highly interested in swords. Koba was a bit of a goof, he was our class deadlast, but I knew he was incredibly reliable and quite good at taijutsu. We had been a team for three years just about, and were getting ready to take the Chunin Exams a second time. We had taken it in Konoha the year before, but got knocked out in the second round by a group of pretty powerful Taki shinobi, one of them was promoted to chunin that year in the exams. But we were much more focused, and we managed to make it to the finals, which was six team bracket competition. We had to fight in the first round, and defeated the Kumo nin that we faced with little injury and were rested when we faced our competition in the semi-finals, a team from Suna. We didn't have any knowledge of them, so the fact that one of them was a Jinchuriki came to a total shock to everybody from Konoha."

"Sorry, but what's a Jinchuriki?" Tenten interrupted the narrative with this poignant comment. Minato had been expecting that question, since it was a taboo term in Konoha still. Naruto and his secret would be kept out of the public realm until Minato was sure his son had fully accepted his burden.

"A Jinchuriki is a person who, in an effort to control one of the nine Bjuu, is made into a living seal of the demon." He explained, to the wide eyes of the three.

"A living seal? Why don't they just kill them, like you did with the Kyuubi?" Tenten asked.

"That is a story for another day, Tenten-san. Anyway, we were challenging the Suna team, and had quickly knocked out the two teammates of the Jinchuriki, neither of whom should have been taking the exam yet in the first place. I assume they had just been full-ins, just to the Jinchuriki could enter the exam. I don't remember his name, but I remember his face. He had dead green eyes, and short jet black hair, and he wore a gourd on his back, which was filled with sand he could control, even without him willing it to do so. He could manipulate sand whoever he wanted, even sand that wasn't in his gourd, but it was that sand that would protect him from being even touched. He had shown no cares about his teammates, and had just stood idly by as we defeated them.

It was three on one, and we felt we had the advantage, but no matter what we did, nothing was hitting him. Koba couldn't him with taijutsu, and none of Hinata's fire attacks were doing anything. My seals weren't of much help either, and I hadn't mastered any of the lightning jutsu Jiraiya-sensei had taught me. So, I made a gambit that I regret to this day." Minato paused for a moment, looking at his enraptured students, before continuing. "I cast a seal I was still learning, a double entrance seal. It is a seal that links to marks to one another, allowing things stored in one to be released at the other seal. It only works over short distances, but it was perfect for this match.

I made the seal on a scroll I laid on the ground, and another on a scroll I was holding. Then, I had Hinata and Koba maneuver the Jinchuriki over the other seal. He had been half-heartedly attacking us, making us dodge, but I thought I had found a way to get back at him for underestimating us. So, I pulled out one of my custom explosive tags and activated it, and sealed it into the seal, and threw it as far away as possible."

The three students gasped, having learned in class about both explosive tags and seals. It was a highly idiotic idea to mix the two together, and was suicide to seal an active explosive tag into a seal. Doing so was a very potent combination. Tenten, however, noted the genius in the concept, having been interested in seals already for some time.

"Because of how the seal worked, the explosion blew out both scrolls, and was magnified by the chakra in the seal. The guy never saw it coming. One moment he was lazily stalking us, the next he is up in smoke. Koba goes in to try to knock him out, hoping the sand wouldn't stop him, when the sand sends him flying back. The smoke clears, and the guy is suddenly flopping around. The force of the explosion blew up both of his legs, tearing them to shreds. We thought the match was over, and we were certain of it when he obviously passed out. We were waiting for the instructor to announce to us we had won, but that was when we heard this scream. It was coming from the guy, as the sand from his gourd, and from the ground began to collect around him. First the legs were reformed with sand, and then his body formed, with one giant tail. The guy was the host of the one tailed bjuu, a tanuki named Shukaku. As I later learned, he gives any host insomnia, making it impossible to sleep in most cases. And when they do sleep, he temporarily gains control over his hosts body. And with wounds as bad as the ones I had inflicted, it near total control of the body.

From there, it was a mess. Sand shinobi began to intervene, and sensei came into the fray to try and get it under control. We tried to help as best we could, but it was a terrible situation. Eventually, we found ourselves huddled together and we made a plan. We had collected enough data to know if he was woken up, the beast would be reigned into his seal. So, we went in, Hinata turning the sand into glass and Koba breaking it up while I helped try to disperse sand with a lightning jutsu that I wouldn't have tried in any other situation. We were actually making a lot of progress on our part, we had a couple other shinobi helping us, and we had opened the face temporarily. I made a move with a seal I had prepared, a shock that was supposed to wake him up for a moment. But that is when it happened. Sand spikes shot from the demon's paw, and I could only watch as they impaled Koba and Hinata. After that, I was knocked out by a spike landing a few inches to the right of me. Another shinobi came in and saved the day, using the opening we set up to wake up the boy long enough for the demon to be forced back into the seal." Minato looked longingly off to his left, thinking about it.

"The boy died from bleeding out, and Suna resealed Shukaku into his ancestral container, a blessed teapot from a very ancient and powerful monk. And I was without my team. But without teamwork, we wouldn't have lasted that long. Without teamwork, who knows what damage Shukaku could have done. Without teamwork…I probably would have died. Hinata's last words were to warn me of the spike that knocked me out. If she hadn't said anything, I would have been impaled and killed as well.

Teamwork is something that can not be overstressed. When you work with a team, you are much stronger as a whole than as individuals. And for teamwork, you will do things you never thought impossible. After that, I became obsessed with the idea of reaching your teammates as quickly as possible. That was why I initially developed the Hirashin no Jutsu, to teleport to my friends so I could save them.

But on that same point, don't let your regrets hold you back. They promoted me after that exam, due to all the potential I showed and such, and I rejected it. I was inspired to follow the vow a man sensei had introduced us to, to stay a genin for the rest of his life. Jiraiya-sensei knocked some sense into me, saying that Hinata and Koba wouldn't want me to spend my life ignoring my potential. One shouldn't live their lives for the dead." Minato finished his rant, giving them a moment to let it sink in.

After a minute, Lee suddenly bowed down to Minato. "Please, sensei, give us another chance. I swear I will perform the best teamwork ever!"

Tenten nodded. "Please Minato-sensei, give us another chance."

Neji said nothing.

Minato looked over the three, before nodding. "Fine, I will give you another hour. However, there are two changes to the rules. Now, you must really capture the bells from me. And secondly, you cannot untie Neji from the stomp. Do so, and you will automatically fail and be kicked out of the program, understand?"

Tenten and Lee gulped, looked at each other, and nodded. "Hai, sensei."

Neji only glared at sensei.

Minato simply nodded. "I'll be waiting for you." With that, he vanished from the genin's eyes, dropping something none of them noticed.

The three genin looked towards one another to try and figure out what to do. Neji struggled with his ropes, while Tenten and Lee looked at each other. Tenten nodded slightly towards Lee, who moved to the back of stump and grabbed the ropes. Neji squirmed in protest.

"Are you really that stupid? He said not to untie me. I will escape myself."

"I will not let my teammate to be trapped to this stump. For teamwork's sake, we need all three of us. I know I am not the best, and I still have very far to go to become so. I know you are very good though, Neji, probably a lot better than I will be for some time. Tenten and I cannot do this alone, so I am untying you so we can win."

"You idiot! If you untie me, none of us become shinobi? Do you think he will not know what you did? Godfather is anything but stupid, something you apparently are.

SLAP!

"Shut up." Tenten moved her hand away from the cheek of Neji. "Just shut up. Lee-san is my teammate, and I will not let anyone ridicule him for no good reason. Both Lee and I think this is for the best, and if you weren't so stubborn, you would realize that to. So let us help you, then we can go and get the bells. Understand?" Her tone was very forceful, making Neji listen. Neji paused for a moment, before sighing.

"Fine, hurry up Lee." He said in a defeated manner, and quickly found himself free of the ropes. If they had been normal ropes he could have escaped fairly easily, but something about the way his godfather tied them, or something about the ropes themselves, made it impossible. Neji stood up, and brushed himself off. "So, what is the game plan?"

Suddenly, in a flash, Minato appeared before them, picking up the kunai he had dropped.  
"You disobeyed my direct orders. Do you know what that means?" He menacingly stood over the three.

Tenten looked around before finding her voice. "Yeah, it means we were using teamwork, and being good team members!"

"Hai, Tenten-chan is right!" Lee upgraded the suffix of his female teammate. "We are working as a team, just like you wanted us to."

Neji looked at the two and sighed. "I'll back them up here. We are a team now, sensei, just like you wanted." Neji was internally praying that this act of bravado wouldn't get them booted from the program altogether.

"I only have one thing to say to you three." Minato paused, turning his attention to each three, building up the suspense, as all three unconsciously leaned in, awaiting their fates.

"You pass."


End file.
